


So, this is love?

by Anonymous



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Angst, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders is a Good Brother, Deception, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Rape/Non-con Elements, Recovery, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Relationships, Unsympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Violence, Whump, smut scene, unrequited prinxiety - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25808731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: In which Deceit decides to teach Roman a lesson after the trial and ends up killing two birds with one stone.Ch 11: Things go from bad to worse very quickly.Ch 12: Roman is finally saved.Ch 13: Recovery is slow, but steady.Ch 14: Virgil tries to interrogate Deceit, and it backfires on him.Ch 15: Deceit's plan is put into motion, to great consequences.Ch 16: Flashback to Virgil and Malice’s fight.WARNINGS: u!Janus, non-con themes, toxic relationships, manipulation.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 72
Kudos: 129
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a semi-vent fic so no clowning. If you can't handle dark topics then don't read, you have been warned.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: sexual assault, loss of virginity, manipulation, toxic relationships.

Roman wasn't sure what to do when he sunk out after the trial. He felt like he had lost, even though everyone had said that he had made the right decision. Despite his best attempts, he felt like there was a hole in his chest that he just couldn’t fill, no matter how he tried to be proud of himself.

Instead of the determination he had left with, all of it had become a swirling mess of confusing emotions which he didn't know what to do with. He wasn't sure how much time he had spent in his room staring blankly at the wall until he heard someone sink in. Roman turned, only now realizing he had tears on his cheeks and hastily wiping them away to try to compose himself in front of whoever had decided to drop in unannounced. When he did, he saw the familiar robed figure and stood up immediately.

"Deceit! What are you doi-" Roman’s shout was cut off as he was shoved none too gently onto the floor, slamming into the hardwood with a crash. Seconds later, Deceit was hovering over him, his multiple hands coming out to retrain him and cover his mouth. 

Roman was so confused that he froze up, completely taken aback that any side would attack another, especially one that had been fighting for the same team as him hours prior. Then he remembered Deceit’s ominous exit and his parting words and Roman began to squirm, trying to get away to call for help. 

As if knowing his goals, the hand on his face tightened, digging into his cheeks. “For once in your life, stay still and shut the fuck up, Roman.”

The voice that came out of Deceit didn't sound like him at all. Didn't sound suave or composed. He seemed so angry that Roman froze once more in shock, which gave the other the opportunity to begin ripping at his clothes.

Roman yelped against the hand when he heard the tear of precious fabrics. Fear be damned, he wouldn't sit by and allow his outfit to be ruined when he didn't even know what he did to deserve this. Was this a weird revenge plot? Destroying something that was meaningful to him because Roman had rebelled against him? He needed to know.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled as best as he could, which still came out muffled. 

Deceit barely gave him a glance, tearing a hole in his pants before pausing to fiddle with his own zipper.

Roman paled with realization, struggle increasing. "Stop!" He cried, still muffled, but Deceit only growled.

"Difficulty listening is a common problem for you, isn't it?" He snarled, shoving his hips forward into Roman once he had freed himself.

It hurt. It was unpleasant. It was nothing like how Roman expected his first time to go, years spent fantasizing about finding the side for him, wondering if he should create his own prince in the imagination that would be perfectly suited for him. Dreaming about wedding nights and honeymoons. All of it was tossed aside in an instant. 

Salty tears dripped down his face, landing onto Deceit’s glove, who's face twisted in disgust. 

"If you scream when I let go, I'll do something terrible to those 'light sides' you care about so dearly. Got it?

Roman hiccuped, nodding hastily. When Deceit finally let go of his mouth, he held back a sob, breathing in air so quickly he was near hyperventilation.

"W-why- why are you doing this?

He couldn't help but cry out when Deceit snapped his hips instead of answering, his ass burning from the lack of lubricant or preparation.

"Perhaps I've wanted to for a while." Deceit hummed after a beat, casually as if he had been asked about the weather. "Perhaps I thought it made sense, given what you now know.”

“What I…?” Roman trailed off uncertainty.

“About how I’m the only one who understands you. And how you tossed that aside for the people who’d throw you to the wolves without a second thought.” Deceit explained bitterly, two of his hands encasing Roman’s hips to help keep him in place as he fought to get away. “Oh- Stop that already, You brought this upon yourself.”

Roman kicked out, and Deceit’s final two hands grabbed his legs, keeping him immobile from his hands to his feet. “N-No!” He sobbed. “You’re lying- they wouldn’t-”

“Don’t be so childish. It's not a becoming look.” Deceit huffled, seating himself inside of Roman so that he could continue to admonish him. He was about to speak when there was a knock on the door and his mouth slammed shut. 

"Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard a bang.” Virgil’s voice called through the door.

Roman almost called out in relief, but he could feel Deceit glaring daggers into him and knew right away that he had to make something up, for the sake of the others. He wasn’t sure if Deceit was being honest with his threats, but he couldn’t risk it. Not to mention that it would have been mortifying having someone see him in such a vulnerable state and knowing that he had been overpowered so easily. “Y-yeah- everything's fine! I was just going through some of my previous accolades and I accidentally knocked the box over.”

“Geez Ro, you're such a clutz.” Virgil huffled, already walking away. “Making me worry for no reason…”

Roman looked at the door in despair, regretfully wishing too late for Virgil to come back. His room was open, help had been so close…

Deceit laughed pityingly. “See? Your so-called ‘family’ isn’t even bothered to check in on you after watching you crush your own dreams. They don't truly love you, not like I do. Otherwise they'd be here when you cry, like I am now." Deceit’s gloved thumb traced over his lip, avoiding the tears and snot.

“You're lying.” Roman mumbled defiantly, turning his head away from the delicate touch that burned his skin. “It's what you do.”

“I don't lie all the time, remember? I can be plenty truthful, just like how you deceive yourself with all those pretty lies.” 

“But...all those things you said. About love. Those were _definitely_ lies.”

“Darling, do you really think I said all that to trick you? I was the only one on your side. What would I have to gain?” Deceit tutted, forcefully grabbing his chin to pull him back into making eyecontact.

“Logan was also-” Roman began to argue. Deceit cut him off swiftly.

 _“Logan_ thought that it was acceptable losing Lee and Mary-Lee’s friendship; he doesn’t respect your role. That's hardly an ally.”

“V-virgil-”

“Don't make me laugh! He was never on your side. In fact, he hated you for sharing the same viewpoint as me. Try again.”

_“Thomas-”_

“ _Chose the wedding in the end because he's ruled by morality_. Face it roman, all you have is me.”

Roman hiccuped, shoulders slumping as he stopped fighting. Deceit smirked, knowing that he finally had him where he wanted. _Who knew it would be so easy?_

“It's alright now, I'm here and I love you. That's why I'm doing this.” He soothed.

“I still can't believe that…”

“But you believe in true love, yes? Do the people in your stories ever do this if they don't love each other unconditionally? Would they bother with such affections for just anyone?”

Roman squirmed uncomfortably as he considered that. “I suppose not.”

“See?” Deceit smiled at him reassuringly. “This means we’re meant to be.” 

“O-oh...” Roman flushed, just as he had done in the courtroom. The idea of achieving the perfect fairytale romance appealed to him, so he allowed the pretty lies to fill his head. He didn't fight as Deceit began thrusting into him again, softly gripping his face and planting kisses over his cheeks once he had used a hankerchief to wipe away his tears. It was still overly tight and painful, but occasionnaly he'd feel a spark of pleasure from the movements, and assumed that was what sex had to have been like for everyone. 

"I love you Roman." Deceit repeated.

"I-I love you too." Roman gasped, finally allowing the words to sink in.

Deceit let go of his arms and legs so he could fuck him properly. Roman moaned, clawing into Deceit’s back when he picked up pace, tearing up inside of him with seemingly little care for how many of Roman’s gasps were out of discomfort. He wondered if Deceit would stop if he knew he was hurting him, and found that he didn't want to risk the lying side leaving, so he said nothing and tried to adjust.

“Please don't leave me. He whispered quietly, holding Deceit close as if it would convince him to stay.

"I wont." Deceit assured him with a tinge of amusement. “If I don’t care for you, who will?”

They continued like that until Deceit came, lips pressed bruisingly against his own like he was trying to steal the air out of him. Roman didn’t feel the explosions he thought he would feel after his first time, but Deceit seemed satisfied and praised him for doing well, so he figured the books he had read must have exaggerated.

Eventually Deceit left his room with promises to return in the morning, and Roman was left lying on the floor, out of breath and aching all over. When he gathered the energy to move, he looked down at his torn clothes and he almost began to cry again, remembering how violently their encounter began.

Was he just…? 

No… he had felt good at some parts so it couldn't have been anything but normal sex. Besides, Deceit said he loved him, loved him more than any other side did. That was probably why they did _that_ when he hadn't with anybody else before. If he didn’t love him, he wouldn’t have complimented Roman or kissed him gently or told him the truth about how everyone else felt about him.

He sighed, the explanation calming him from his momentary panic. It created a strange unease at the back of his mind, but he squashed it down in favor of going to bed. He snapped himself into different clothes, discarding the ones from today, and fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

It was nice to be loved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deceit and Roman have a suspiciously perfect date and the others begin to notice what's going on.
> 
> Warnings: minor self-blame, fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to keep updating this. You can read the first chapter as a standalone if you like, but this is cathartic to write so I'm going for it.

Roman woke the next morning to the tickle of breath on his cheek. 

He cracked his eyes open to see Deceit leaning over him, kissing him awake. Then his lips moved downwards to his jaw and he writhed as the snake side slid into bed next to him, arms enclosing him in a loose hug.

It took a second for Roman to process what was happening, the early morning making him confused and disoriented. Then he remembered what happened the day before and everything clicked into place. Deceit had said that he would be back, but Roman had just presumed that would mean after 7am. 

He yawned and smiled slightly, leaning into the silk-covered chest of the lying side. Trust him to wear such a luxury set of pajamas to bed. Roman wished he could do the same, but he disliked how the fabric stuck to his skin and made him overheat. Deceit’s body was nice and cool though, which made him pleasant to lay next to.

“What are you doing here so early?” He asked when the sleep left his eyes, shivering when a hand ran over his side. As nice as it was to lie in someone’s arms, it still felt strange being touched so intimately. Or perhaps that was just him being grumpy from waking up too early.

Deceit looked at him softly. “I wanted to surprise you and provide my support, since we have a rough day ahead of us.”

Oh… His head had been so clouded with thought that Roman had almost forgotten that Thomas would be telling the director he’d have to cancel the callback today. He felt himself frown, sinking into despair knowing that within hours they’d be losing the opportunity for good, until he was distracted by Deceit kissing him again, more heatedly.

Roman let Deceit take the lead, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss. After a while he parted from him, eyes lidded. 

“If you like, I can take your mind off of it.” He said, thumb lowering into Roman’s waistband.

His heart thudded in his chest and he pushed himself away slightly. “N-Not yet please.” Roman quickly replied, avoiding eyecontact when Deceit frowned at him. “It still...hurts a little. From yesterday.”

That earned a chuckle and the hand rose back up to rest on his waist. “Alright my prince. I’ll let you get the rest you need.”

Roman relaxed again. What had he been so afraid of? That Deceit would have hated him for saying no? That he would hurt him ~~again~~? He felt guilty for having such thoughts about someone who said he loved him, and he tried to force them out of his mind, instead latching onto the term of endearment that had his cheeks going red.

“Deceit…?” He asked tentatively, continuing when he heard an affirmative noise. “Are we...dating?”

Deceit hummed again, cupping his face. “Would you like it if we were?”

Roman flushed deeper. “I think so. But it feels a little fast, doesn’t it?”

“You think? I’m wounded, my dear.” Deceit tittered, moving his hand down to hold Roman’s before he could backtrack. “My apologies, I suppose I took things too quickly yesterday, didn’t I? But if you like, I’d be happy to court you properly.”

Roman’s brain stuttered and near shut down when Deceit kissed his knuckles, so gentleman-like that it was like something out of his dreams.

“Y-Yes!” He exclaimed, before realizing he probably sounded too enthusiastic. “I mean... that sounds good. As long as that doesn’t entail asking Patton for permission to date. I never liked that rule.” 

He scrunched up his nose and Deceit laughed. “That's more than acceptable. You shouldn’t need Patton’s permission to do what you want anyway. Why follow such an outdated system when you’re your own person?”

“...Yeah!” Roman agreed enthusiastically. Deceit was really opening his eyes to a lot of things.

After a comfortable pause, Deceit changed the topic, “How busy are you today?”

Roman thought. “Thomas is taking the day off so… not very. Logan is handling the call with the director, and other than that there's not much to do.”

“Good.” Deceit replied, squeezing his hand. “Because I figured this afternoon would be the perfect opportunity to spend some time together. No big decisions or sides to interrupt us. What do you say?”

“I say that sounds delightful.” Roman smiled, eyes crinking.

“It’s a date then.” Deceit smiled back.

The two of them continued to lie in bed for a few more hours, dicussing their plans and simply enjoying one another's presence until Roman was called to breakfast at 9am and he had to rush down to eat with the others before he could go get ready to meet Deceit.

The man had said he would plan a surprise for him in the meantime, and Roman was very excited to see what he had in store.

“What’s with the rush? Got somewhere better to be?” Virgil snarked across from him, watching him practically inhale his breakfast.

“With such a gloomy face as yours in front of me, any place is better.” Roman replied sarcastically when he paused to gulp down orange juice. He was still a little mad at Virgil for calling him a clutz yesterday, even though he now knew he was better off without the emo’s intervention. He just felt strange being around the others right now after everything Deceit had said, and that made him shorter on temper than usual.

“Roman, that’s a little mean isn’t it?” Patton frowned at him, the request to apologize in subtext.

“I suppose it was. Well, I’m done.” He announced, getting up from the table and walking out. “Have fun making that phone call, Logan.”

Logan blinked at the others, who were exchanging glances oddly. “That was unusual.”

“Yeah. He didn’t give you a terrible nickname.” Virgil replied, stabbing his egg with more force than necessary.

Patton looked around the table and sighed. It felt like a bad day for everyone. At least Roman looked happy on his way out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile: Roman practically ran back to his room to get ready. Deceit had told him to dress fancy, and he could have danced with joy. The two of them already had a very formal way of dressing, which meant that he was expected to go all out, something he rarely got to do on most days.

He spent around 20 minutes going through his wardrobe, summoning different combinations of dress shirts, skirts and pants until he was certain what he had chosen looked perfect. He ended up with a deep red tunic which was inspired by the medieval period. The clothing was carefully embroidered with high quality threads, and there was a great amount of detail in the stitching that one would have to get up close to truly appreciate. His boots were a dark cherry leather that reached his shin, polished until reflective.

He spent another 30 minutes after that picking out accessories and doing his makeup- simple and rosy with a red shadow to draw more attention to his clothing- and then he was ready, stepping into the imagination. 

Deceit said he would wait by the entrance, and it was hard to miss him. He stood a few feet away, under the shade of a lacey black umbrella.

“You’re fashionably early. Excited, are we?” Deceit smirked while Roman gaped at him, taking in his outfit.

“You look...absolutely handsome.” He gasped. Deceit had kept to his black and yellow color scheme, but it flustered him to note how much he looked like royalty; a dark overcoat over a three-piece suit, all of which had golden detailing around the edges, and a frilly cravat to top it all off. 

“Thank you. You clean up quite well yourself.” Deceit winked, offering his arm. Roman accepted, joining him under the umbrella.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the imagination, exploring the different towns and attractions. At one point they had sat down in a field, Deceit revealing that he had put together a picnic. They talked a lot, shared interests and made each other laugh. All in all, it was the perfect date and Roman felt like he was on cloud nine, not even realizing when they had spent the better part of the day like that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman made it back to his room in the evening, a giddy smile on his face. He hummed to himself as he went out to the kitchen to make himself some tea before he would turn in for the night with a book Deceit had recommended to him. Something about philosphy he said would broaden his mind a bit.

On his way he passed by Virgil on the couch, who did a double take when he saw him. “Where have you been all day? You missed lunch and dinner and- what are you wearing?”

The emo paused, looking him up and down after getting up to follow him into the kitchen. “Is that makeup? Why are you so dressed up?” He asked suspiciously.

Roman only rolled his eyes, too over the moon to get annoyed with the questions. “Can’t a side get all prettied up for himself? You act like a little eyeshadow is a crime, despite choosing to look like a raccoon everyday.”

Virgil ignored the dig. “Absolutely not. You show off whenever you get the chance, princey. And you have a creepy smile on your face, so spill.”

“I’m glad my happiness is ‘creepy’ to you.” Roman huffed, pouring hot water into his cup. “Why should I tell you anything, when you’re clearly just asking to pry, hm?”

Virgil frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’m just worried… You were acting so weird at breakfast and...”

“And _what?_ ”

“And... I know yesterday was confusing.” Virgil said in a small voice. “With Deceit getting into your head and all-”

Virgil cut himself off as Roman slammed the kettle back onto the counter, flinching back at the loud noise and the hot water that spilled out.

“So that’s it! Do you think of me as so incapable that I can’t even form decisions on my own? That I can’t tell when I’m being used?”

“I-”

“ _Maybe_ I was happy to have someone of my team for once, Virgil.” Roman continued over him. “Maybe I realized that it’s possible for me to be listened to, and that the ones holding me back were actually all of _you_.”

He picked up his tea and stormed out of the kitchen, Virgil right on his tail once he had gotten over his shock.

“Wait, Roman! Please tell me you’re not saying what I think you are. That you’re not talking to _him._ ”

“Goodnight Virgil.” Roman said definitively as he slammed his door.

So much for a good day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worries are revealed and Roman cuts himself off from the light sides.
> 
> Warnings: Fighting, bruises, unintentionally being triggered, romanticization of injuries, manipulation.

The next day Roman didn’t wake up to Deceit in his room, but he dearly wished he had. The confrontation between Virgil and himself kept playing in his head, and he was certain that by now Virgil probably would have told the others about his fears.

Roman rolled over grumpily. Why did he have to intrude like that?! Him and Deceit had both agreed to keep their courtship a secret because they were both fully aware of what the consequences would be like if they told the other sides. Roman would probably be excommunicated for continuing to talk with Deceit after he had been branded the bad guy by everyone, and Deceit would likely be villainized even more. It just wasn’t fair… For the first time in a while, Roman had something to look forward to and finally someone to extend his romantic gestures towards. Forbidden romances were always made out to be exciting, but the whole situation just made Roman sad.

He wanted to wallow all day, but the world seemed to have other plans when he heard a knock on the door.

“...Who is it?” He called from his bed instead of answering it.

“It’s Logan. Patton requested your presence for a family meeting.” A pause. “It’s mandatory.”

After a few seconds footsteps could be heard walking away from his door. Roman groaned into his pillow before standing up to get ready. Family meetings weren’t usually a good thing, but mandatory ones? He was definitely in hot water, and he wished more than ever for Deceit’s support. However it wasn’t like he could just ask him to accompany him to the meeting. He would just have to try to keep calm and make it through without revealing their relationship. It shouldn’t be so hard to deny everything, anyway. It wasn’t like they had any evidence beyond Virgil witnessing him in his date clothes.

Once he got himself properly motivated, he left his room and proceeded towards the living room, where the other three sides were standing around in their filming positions. He chuckled nervously as he stood in his own spot in front of the tv. “This is familiar.”

“Roman, where were you yesterday?” Patton spoke up almost immediately. The suddenness of the question had Roman frowning.

“I was out in the imagination! I’m aware my disappearance had you worried, but it was really nothing.” He explained, wondering if Deceit could sense half truths the same way he could sense lies. That was something to ask him later.

“Yeah? And what were you doing?” Virgil snapped. Logan shot him a look and he simmered down. 

Roman raised an eyebrow. “What I usually do…? This is hardly a new pastime for me.”

“It’s new that you’re hanging around with Deceit though!” Virgil exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“You keep saying that, but I don’t see you having any evidence.” Roman scowled. “May I leave, if all you wanted to do was interrogate me?”

“See?! He’s even starting to sound like him-”

“Okay, okay.” Patton jumped in. “It seems like there’s a misunderstanding here. Virgil, can you explain what has you so worried for Roman to understand?”

Virgil huffed, his eyes never leaving Roman. “Sure thing. Last night you said that we were all holding you back and I know you can get a big head and all, but even that’s not something you would say without someone feeding it to you. I want to know what he said to you.”

Roman crossed his arms defensively, actually offended by the accusation. “I only said that because you kept asking questions and implied I couldn’t think on my own. For goodness sake, you’re still doing it now!” 

He turned to the side opposite him as a final plea. “Logan, surely _you_ can see how ridiculous this is?”

Roman stared at Logan for a few seconds, waiting for him to speak up. He soon realized that he wasn’t making eyecontact and was instead looking at his arms in bewilderment. Then the others noticed too, gasping in shock when they followed his gaze. Roman’s heart leaped into his throat, and he checked what they were all looking at, finally noticing the light purple imprints around his wrists that his sleeves had risen up to show. He quickly lowered his hands to his sides again, pulling the cuffs of his sleeves down, but it was already too late.

Virgil left his spot to grab his arm, making Roman hiss as he roughly pulled his sleeve all the way to his elbow. Tears gathered in his eyes as the handmark-shaped bruises were put on display, and he couldn’t even meet Virgil’s complicated expression as he struggled to pull his arm out of his grasp.

He hadn’t even realized Deceit’s grip on that one night had left any marks until now, having gotten into the habit of changing his clothes with a snap. He told himself it was for the convenience, but really he was just worried about seeing his own body in any sort of vunerable state. This was why. The way he was being restrained and exposed was sending him into a panic, and he just wanted to get away from the watchful eyes.

Virgil must have sensed his anxiety because he let go, however he wasn’t willing to drop the topic just yet. “Jesus Christ Roman, please tell me those aren’t from what I think they are.” He asked, looking sick.

He knew it, he knew they’d get the wrong idea. He glared at Virgil through teary eyes. It was all his fault that they thought he needed some kind of intervention. “Mind your own fucking business. You only want to assume the worst because you hate Deceit.”

Virgil stared in surprise, but it was Logan who stepped forward. “I am unbiased in all of this, and it appears quite obviously that something of concern is happening. If you would only allow us to help-” He took a step forward and Roman took one back, bumping into the tv behind him.

“ _No._ You don’t get to pretend to care now.” He hiccuped. “Not w-when you watched what happened the other day and said nothing.”

Then it was Patton speaking up, eyes equally as wet. “W- Of course we care! We thought you were okay going to the wedding! You chose the sentence!”

“ _You thought wrong._ ” Roman sobbed, everything coming out. “Did you really think it was what I wanted when you shamed me for not agreeing with you? When you ignored when Deceit said it would crush me? He’s the only one who bothered to care enough to check on me! He’s been a better friend then any of you.”

“Friends don’t do _that._ ” Patton whimpered softly with a hurt expression.

Logan spoke over Patton. “Perhaps we’ve made some errors in judgement, but surely you can see that Deceit is not the ally he’s made himself out to be if he’s hurt you like this. Please don’t punish yourself for our mistakes.”

“‘Punish’?” Roman stared at them, wiping away his tears. “It’s not a punishment to be in love.”

“Oh no.” Virgil inhaled. “This is bad.”

“It’s not, actually.” Roman straightened up, attempting to compose himself. “But I don’t need your blessings anyway, because from this day onwards we’re no longer friends. I’ll cooperate with you all, but try to tell me what to do again and that will quickly change. Goodbye.”

Roman sunk out to the sight of 3 horrified and hurt faces, landing back on his bed and immediately falling back into the soft sheets. 

He was so drained that he didn’t notice the extra presence in his room until they coughed. Sluggishly, he sat back up.

“Hi.” Roman sniffled.

“Hello...I heard the commotion.” Deceit said simply, handing him a tissue for him to blow his nose. He waited patiently for Roman to compose himself properly, breath evening out. “I suppose they know now, hm?”

“I-I’m sorry. I tried to stop it, but they _saw_ and I w-wanted to defend you.” Roman stuttered out, equally as uncomfortable under Deceit’s piercing gaze as he was with the others.

“Saw what?” Deceit questioned, and Roman hesitantly rolled down his sleeve again. The mismatched eyes widened, and he reached out a hand to place over the bruises. Roman waited for an apology, an admission of fault for leaving the marks at all so that he knew for certain that the others were wrong, but he could only feel his stomach drop when Deceit smiled slowly, eyes sliding back up to meet his own.

“It’s unfortunate, of course. But I have to say that you do look quite pretty like this.”

Roman tried to pull his arm away when Deceit’s fingers pressed into the bruise painfully, and the image of how worried the others had looked upon seeing the markings flashed in his mind. At long last alarm bells started going off in his head.

“I-It’s not pretty.” He whimpered, feeling self-conscious under scrutiny. He had no idea how Deceit could even say that when he only felt disgusted with himself.

But then whatever thing had caused him to panic soon faded when Deceit seemed to snap out of it, holding his arm between two hands and rubbing it lightly as if to wipe away the marks. Roman stared at him, wondering if he was imagining things.

“Darling, _anything_ is pretty on you. Even these. Hopefully one day I’ll get another chance to show you how lovely you are.”

Roman flushed under the compliments, and then with the realization of what Deceit was talking about. “One day. Maybe.” He settled with, looking away. His shyness was chuckled at.

“Enough about how gorgeous you are, even though I could discuss that all day.” Roman made an embarrassing high-pitched noise which Deceit paused to smirk at before going back to talking. “I do regret not being able to be out there with you. That must have been embarrassing, having everyone see this.”

He squeezed Roman’s wrist and Roman’s shoulders rose up to his ears. Embarrassing wasn’t the right word for it. “...It’s okay. It’s probably for the best that you weren’t there. They think our relationship is bad...Or something of the sort.”

Deceit didn’t look surprised but he sighed. “Of course they would think that. I suppose it is understandable why they can’t believe one of their own could care for a monster such as myself.”

“Don’t say that, you’re not a monster!” Roman protested immediately. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever met. You’re kind, thoughtful, smart, and funny. If anything, _they’re_ the monsters for passing such a horrible judgment on you for no reason.”

He watched as Deceit smiled shyly and he felt some satisfaction in being the one to get a reaction from him for once. He leaned forward and kissed Deceit on the scaled part of his face.

“I love you.” He admitted.

“...So much for taking things slowly.” Deceit replied sarcastically. 

He shoved Deceit’s shoulder lightly as he laughed. “That doesn’t count when you already know how I feel about you!”

“Hmm, do I? I seem to have forgotten. Perhaps I need a reminder.” Deceit said smugly. Roman groaned and buried his head in his chest, face red all the way up to his ears.

“...You’re the most important person to me, Deceit. I’m glad you came and found me.”

Unbeknownst to him, the look Deceit gave him was free of the same love. It was one of humor, like how a pet owner would look at their dog for doing something cute yet stupid.

"I am too."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman becomes more infatuated, despite the warning signs.
> 
> Warnings: Isolation, fighting, manipulation, possessiveness, misunderstandings, accidental triggering.

Roman didn’t go out to see the other sides for the next few weeks.

His conversation with Deceit really solidified how terrible the light sides were, treating their love as something dangerous and him like a baby who couldn’t think for himself. He was filled with indignancy whenever he thought about it, and it motivated him to stay away from them that much more.

The others would try to come to him, of course. He’d often get knocks on his doors to invite him down for breakfast, and instead he would wait until they all left to make his own food. And when he couldn’t do that, he would just summon it to his room, and the need to leave was gone.

It wasn’t always so easy though. Roman loved to move around and socialize, so his self-imposed isolation wasn’t doing great things for his psyche. He started missing the movie nights they would have and the casual affection they showed each other, so he only became more clingy to Deceit whenever he would drop by as well as rely on him for the feedback he needed to motivate himself.

He was keeping to his word and continuing to work, after all. However it made things more challenging to not get as much constructive criticism anymore... not that he was upset with the compliments he got instead. Those were nicer and always reassured him that he was doing well, something he couldn't say that he usually felt from the light sides.

Today was different though. He needed to have a meeting with Logan to work something out for an upcoming project. He had whined about it plenty of times to Deceit, who was even there before Roman was preparing to leave.

He was sat at his desk, getting his papers in order when Deceit stood behind him, hands on his shoulder

“If you like, I could impersonate you and present your project instead.”

Roman turned around to kiss his cheek. “You know how badly that could go if they find out, dear.”

“Perhaps.” Deceit says. “I’d be happy to risk it, though. I just don’t like the idea of you two being along together.”

That catches Roman’s attention and he puts the papers down with a frown. “It’s just _Logan_. He’s not going to do anything.”

“I wouldn’t be so certain. Those light sides have been awfully persistent in trying to get you to go back to them. I wouldn’t put it past them to try pulling something when you're alone and vulnerable.”

Roman didn’t know what to say to that. He wanted to say it was a preposterous idea, but he truly couldn’t say for certain if that were so. Deceit still had more to say, anyway.

“Besides...It makes me jealous.”

“Jealous…?” Roman trails off as Deceit walks around to his right side.

“Of the idea of you being alone with another man in his room. Too far away for me to reach.”

“I won’t let anything like _that_ happen. You can trust me!” Roman argues, upset at the implication that he would ever cheat.

"Of course I trust you darling, but you know how some men are." Deceits hand squeezed possessively on his shoulder. "When they see something they like they just have to take it."

Deceit growls into his ear and pulls the collar of his shirt down. Before Roman can question what he’s doing, his lips attach to the side of his neck and roughly suck a love bite there. Roman gasps and grasps his arm, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer. Deceit continues while he struggles to make a decision, doing it again and again while Roman whines softly and squirms in his chair. Eventually he finishes, leaving the side of his neck covered in purple splotches.

"There. Now I feel better that no one will lay a hand on you." Deceit said, caressing his face with much more gentleness. Roman leaned into the delicate touch, quiet and conflicted with whether he should encourage what Deceit had done. It was going to be so embarrassing to face another person now...

"Oh, if only you could stay." Deceit lamented softly over his thoughts. " But I suppose I must let you do your duty."

He moved away, gathering the papers Roman had been looking over and handing them to him.

"Thank you. I wish I didn't have to go either, but I said I'd cooperate with them and...A promise is a promise."

"Ah, words. Why do you have to be so honorable." Deceit tutted and Roman giggled.

"Someone has to be-" He felt the tug of being summoned and sighed. “...I have to go.”

Deceit kissed him on the forehead. “Be safe. I'll be right here for when you get back.”

“See you soon, my love.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman rose up in Logan’s room and subconsciously tugged at his collar, looking around to find Logan already at his desk. 

“Roman.” Logan turned around, eyes flickering to the bruises on his neck that he was unable to cover and looking disappointed. “...It’s good to see you. Well, I hope?”

“Better than ever.” He replied, though the words lacked his usual spark to them.

“...Right.” Logan struggled with not saying anything, knowing fully well that Roman wasn’t looking to be given advice or told what to do. “Let’s look over what you’ve got, shall we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know how to say this…” Logan sighed. “This...Is unusable.” 

Roman’s mind went blank. “Unusable as in ‘this is so bad’ or as in you refuse to use it?”

Logan winced. “I don’t wish to insult your work.”

“So it’s the latter then? You’re refusing to use my ideas because, what? I didn’t do what you want?” Roman scoffed.

“That’s not it. Compared to your usual work, this is simply uninspired. I have a feeling that may have to do with your recent isolation-” Logan cut off as Roman laughed disbelievingly. “...What?”

“Deceit said you’d do this! So this is your play? You’re holding my contributions hostage until I go back to you all? Is that it?” Roman stood up from his chair and Logan followed.

“You’re misinterpreting my attempts at helping you.” Logan argued in frustration.

“I don’t need your help! I’m not going to be manipulated into doing what you want!” Roman shouted back, stepping back to sink out.

“ _Don’t you dare leave without listening to me properly, Roman.”_ Logan reached him in a few steps, practically tackling him over. The two of them landed on Logan’s bed and wrestled as Roman tried to get away and Logan tried to get him to stay.

In the end, Logan won and had him pinned down, breathing harshly. “I. Said. _Listen_. I've tried to be patient, but clearly this is spiralling out of control! Do you really think what you're doing is helping anybody?! It’s been _weeks_ and all of us have been deathly concerned for you. Thomas has been slowly burning out and you do not look well, no matter what you say. You need to open your eyes and realize that we're the ones who have your best interests at heart, _not_ Deceit.”

Logan finished his rant, letting his frustration wash away. When it did he finally noticed how Roman's eyes were glazed with fear and he was struggling to breathe, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. He then realized their suggestive position and the way he was holding down Roman's bruised arms and blanched, immediately letting go of the other side and allowing him to scoot away in terror. 

“Please- I didn’t mean to hurt you-”

“I-I don’t believe you.” Roman scrambled off the bed, backing away until he hit the wall. “Deceit said you’d do this too…” He whispered feebly.

“I-” Logan suddenly felt self-conscious, unsure what that meant and what untruths the liar had fed to him about Logan. “Please stay and let me explain.”

“ _No,_ I won't. Stay away from me.” Roman burst into tears and sunk out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deceit was reading on the loveseat in romans room, waiting for his return. He didn't assume it would take long, as he didn't genuinely believe the logic side would try anything - he was too smart to do anything that would push Roman away for good, unfortunately. But perhaps he _would_ try to convince Roman what a terrible side Deceit was again. He smirked at the thought, imagining the creative side valiantly defending him behind his back while having no idea what Deceit is really like. It does fill him with a twinge of frustration though, knowing that he couldn't prevent the others attempts to pull Roman away from his side. Alas, he just had to have faith that his charm and manipulation was enough to convince Roman that the light sides were out to get them. He didn't even have to do anything to convince him to isolate himself from everyone after all. It was a mystery why he didn't do this sooner, if only he had known it would be so simple to get the princely side wrapped around his finger.

As he thought that, he felt the woosh of Roman coming back and he smiled, closing his book. 

"How did it go?-" he began to ask, but let out a grunt when Roman practically threw himself onto him, arms around his neck as a wetness started leaking on his shoulder. Deceit fought back a grimace, slowly reciprocating the hug and holding Roman close.

“You were right! _You were right!_ ” Roman wailed in Deceit’s arms. Admittedly, this took him aback. Wasn't this plot development _interesting?_

“I was trying to leave and he- _on the bed-_ and he held me down and he looked so angry that I thought-” Roman frantically tried to explain before giving up and sobbing pitifully.

A genuine wave of anger passed through Deceit, that his marking had gone unheeded by the logic side, even though this untilmately worked in his favor. These light sides had a chronic problem with complying with his wishes, it seemed. He felt the need to use this. Teach them all a lesson in not crossing him. And he knew just what to do.

“There there.” Deceit cooed. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman runs away to the dark side.
> 
> Warnings: consensual smut scene (it’s written between the *** if you want to skip it), isolation, running away, mentions of past sexual assault.

After Logan and Roman’s disastrous meeting, the light sides grew more desperate to get him out of his room. They'd knock more often, send him texts, and talk through the door. It was starting to stress Roman out, trying to ignore all of it as he stayed determined to keep away from them.

Deceit was a saving grace during all of this. These days he rarely left his side; when the attention got overwhelming, they’d disappear into the imagination and have a date there, or they would distract themselves with other things in Roman’s room, going through old memories and spending quality time together. Deceit had even begun sleeping there, holding Roman close at night while they ignored the world around them.

They practically never got breaks from each other, so when one time he disappeared all morning and didn't appear for the better part of an afternoon, it filled Roman with dread. Deceit hadn't mentioned that there was something he needed to do, so his lack of presence was felt even more than usual. Before he realized what he was doing, Roman began moping around, debating on whether he should go outside to look for Deceit himself.

Thankfully he returned back before he could make that decision, and with him he brought a large bouquet of flowers.

Roman gasped, both at seeing him and the gift. "Deceit! They're beautiful!”

“I picked them for you from the imagination.” Deceit responded with a smile, handing them over. It was a lie, he had simply summoned them and spent the rest of the time getting a breather from the creative side. But Roman looked over the moon to receive such a thoughtful gift. He thanked him happily as he found a vase to put the flowers in. 

Deceit waited until he was done to continue talking.

“I also wanted to ask you a question.” He cleared his throat, giving the appearance of nervousness. “...I know it may not be an ideal time, but we've been courting for a few weeks now and I wanted to ask you officially. Roman, would you be my boyfriend?"

Roman stared at him with happy tears in his eyes. "Of course!" He laughed. "You wonderful, wonderful man. How could I possibly say no when you've been nothing but kind and supportive this entire time?”

Deceit let his eyes soften. "It’s nothing, really. I would do anything for you."

"As would I you. I would slay dragons just for a chance to see you smile." Roman held his hands, eyes genuine.

“...And for a kiss?” Deceit moved teasingly close, breath fanning over Roman’s face.

“Anything. I’d do anything.” Roman breathed

Deceit finally connected their lips and Roman reciprocated eagerly. They held each other close as if it was the last chance they'd ever get to hold one another, and it quickly grew heated when the kiss deepened. Deceit slowly sat down on the bed behind him and Roman followed, sitting down in his lap as to not lose contact. Finally the kiss broke and they panted, Deceit's hands running up Roman's sides and just barely touching the skin under his costume.

"Are you okay with going further?" Deceit paused, looking him in the eye for confirmation.

Roman's heart fluttered. It had been a while since he had last asked that, and at the time Roman wasn't so sure. He had felt guilty almost for the informality of their first time, the values he had once cherished stating that that sort of thing had to wait until deeper in a relationship. But they hadn't followed that rule and nothing but good things had come from it so...perhaps he was ready to give that part of himself to Deceit once more. After such a romantic gesture, he was certain that he was the one, marriage be damned.

" _Yes._ God yes, Dee." He begged, already trying to pull him back in for a kiss. Deceit chuckled against his lips, taking him by surprise when he rolled them over so that he could begin removing their clothes.

***

This time Deceit made sure to prepare him, enjoying every mewl and whine he was able to pull out of the creative side with slicked fingers alone. He drew it out until he was flushed and malleable, willing to do anything.

"So cute, my prince. I love how vocal you are for me." He purred tantalizingly, leaning back to take in the sight.

"E-enough stalling. Dee, I want _you_. Please." Roman cried, pulling at his arms.

"Impatient too. Well, as you wish." Deceit complied with another chuckle. Just as slowly, he pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his dick, easing himself in inch by inch untill he was fully inside. Roman moaned loudly, clawing at his bare back desperately- though careful to avoid scratching the sensitive scales that covered his left side.

Deceit hissed, pulling out and slamming back in suddenly and enjoying how quickly Roman was to fall apart under him. It was funny in a way, how they ended up like this simply because Deceit had made a split second decision to get some revenge. And now, having Roman completely willing to submit to him without second thoughts? It was _intoxicating_. 

"Hah hah,” Roman panted. "Feels good."

"Hm? Do you like it when I fuck you like this?” Deceit asked, making sure to hit deep inside of him.

" _Yes!_ " Roman gasped, back arching. "Dee, I love you."

"I-I love you too." Deceit stuttered as he felt himself grow closer, sooner than expected. It seemed that if there was one thing Roman was good for, it was being a good lay. 

Both of them came at the same time, and Deceit pulled out only to lay next to Roman on the bed.

***

For a while they said nothing as they caught their breaths, and Roman had his head in the clouds. Compared to last time this was... _so_ different. He had been hesitant to jump back into intimacy because he had assumed it would leave him bruised, anxious and in pain again, but he felt none of that. He felt bad once more for expecting that from Deceit, when it was likely just a matter of having an awkward first time. 

Perhaps he should ask about it, but he wasn’t sure how.

“What are you thinking about?” Deceit cut through his thoughts, tracing circles on his arm.

“You. Of course.”

“Mm, don't think too hard then, because the real thing is right here and he may feel left out." Deceit held his chin and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Roman rolled over and hugged him.

"...I'm so lucky to have you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things felt different once Deceit and Roman begun dating officially. They had been acting as a unit before, but now it really felt like it. Roman didn’t hold back on his affections, declaring his love multiple times across the day and looking forward to the times they’d be intimate. And considering how there wasn’t much to do locked away in a room, it happened a lot.

Despite the joy he felt with Deceit though, he was quickly being worn down from never going outside or seeing anyone else. He grew sluggish, emotional, and unmotivated.

And Deceit wasn’t doing much better. It bothered him to stay alert 24/7, having to keep up his act around Roman. Sometimes he wondered if he had genuinely grown attached to the side, given how much they had ended up sharing a lot of interests and bonding. He begun realizing more often that his thoughts of wanting to keep him for himself were no longer just for self-gain, they were out of a possessiveness that had slowly infected him. He hated the change, not liking how out of control it made him feel. He knew he had to enact his plan soon, otherwise he wasn’t sure what he’d do locked up in these 4 walls. 

The opportunity came the very same day he had these thoughts, when the creative side showed his weakness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm tired of this." Roman said, watching the letter that had slid under his door. Deceit glanced at it, making a note to confiscate it when he got the chance. "I don't know how more I can do it, it's just, so _stressful._ Perhaps I should just talk to them to get them to stop bothering us…"

"You know that's what they want, angel. They're trying to wear you down so you'll be more likely to go back with them...Please don't leave me." He added, just to lay it on thick.

"I would never! I just wish they would go away." Roman frowned, grasping his hand.

Perfect. "Roman...what would you say about possibly...getting away?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, intrigued. Good.

"I mean, there's space on the other side of the mind palance, and I'm sure they wouldn’t be willing to bother you there…"

Roman looked surprised at this. “Can we really do that? Move around?”

Deceit chucked. “Well, I’ve been here these past few weeks haven’t I?”

In actuality, Deceit didn’t know for sure what the consequences of a light side going to the dark would be. For the opposite, it was only ever a good thing. But this had never been done before. It was almost exciting, even though he did have some concerns deep down about how it may affect Thomas. Well, perhaps getting away from the light twerps would be worth it.

“I suppose that’s true.” Roman thought, and then smiled at him. “...I think I’d love to. When can we do it?”

_So easy._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas looked around at his sides, rubbing his head. They had finally managed to drag him from his work, and they were all standing around in the living room.

“So...Roman is in some sort of trouble with Deceit? What does that mean?” He questioned.

“We don’t know…” Virgil bit his lip. “For some reason Passion is being stifled by Self-preservation. But why? What does he have to gain?”

“Could it perhaps be an outcome of the recent video?” Logan questioned. “As we’ve come to understand, the decision was a great letdown, resulting in poor mental health consequences,” Thomas nodded. “Perhaps Deceit could be attempting to ensure nothing of the sort happens again by manipulating the side most responsible for the rash decisions Thomas makes.”

“That makes sense I guess… Poor Ro.” Patton sniffled. “Why did Deceit have to do it like _that_ though? We could have just talked it over…”

“Because he’s _sick._ ” Virgil hissed. “I should’ve known...That night of the video, I heard some weird noises coming from Roman’s room and he was acting off but I didn’t even question it. And that was probably when…”

Virgil stopped there, heartbroken. Thomas looked around when the others joined him.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Thomas, we found Roman with bruises around his wrists, and it led us to suspect that Deceit… erm.” Logan fell silent with a grimace. Thomas quickly picked up what he meant.

“Oh...oh god!” He looked around at them in alarm. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“We were trying to fix it without making Roman hate us!” Patton frowned. “He said that if we tried to tell him what to do, he would stop cooperating with us, and we were worried he’d think we were trying to force him into leaving Deceit if we got you involved.” 

“Well…” Thomas rubbed his face tiredly. “This has definitely gone too far, so we have to try. He _has_ to listen to me, right? Can we go and talk to him?”

The three sides looked at each other.

“I suppose enough is enough…” Logan admitted.

“Let’s go to princey’s room.”

\--

The four of them sunk into Roman’s room, only to find it empty.

“Could he be in the imagination?” Patton wondered.

“Can’t be. The doors closed.” Virgil pointed out.

“Well where else could he be, if not here?” Thomas frowned.

Logan approached the desk tentatively. “Everyone, there’s a letter. I think it’s from Deceit.” He picked it up and began reading aloud.

_‘Dear ‘light sides’,_

_Oh how it must burn to read this and know that your best efforts have failed. Unfortunately, it’s true. You’re too late. Perhaps it may be hard to believe, but Roman and I are happy. Though as long as he stays with me that could easily change. Try to interfere in our relationship and you'll see what I mean._

_If you want to ensure Roman's happiness, give in and allow me to do as I please. It’s for the best._

_Yours truly,_

_Deceit.’_

Once Logan finished reading the letter, the four of them were clearly lost.

“That...absolute _bastard._ ” Virgil sat down, looking more close to tears than angry.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Patton asked helplessly.

No one had an answer to that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More red flags appear.
> 
> Warnings: controlling behaviour, being pressured into sex (non-descriptive of the actual thing), triggering actions, ignoring ‘no’, manipulation, passing out, non-con injury (bruises/bitemarks).
> 
> (This one's a lot. Sorry Roman.)

Roman carried his stuff in a box as he and Deceit walked through the mind palace. He had been sure to bring only the most important items he owned, and it was strange seeing it at fit into such a small box. Though it made sense that he only had a few momentos he still wanted to keep, since everything else reminded him of the other light sides. It was better to leave that behind and make new a new life. Speaking of a new life,

“What are the sides like over here?” Roman asked his 12th question of the evening. Luckily, Deceit wasn’t bothered by this, likely from a lifetime of dealing with his brother.

“They’re...an interesting bunch. No one will question our relationship at least.” Deceit gave Roman a disarming smile. “You’re free to be yourself here.”

“I’m glad we’ll finally get some peace.” Roman winced. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that with me, but….I’m lucky you were there, too.”

"It was no trouble. I consider it a necessary sacrifice to have you here with me now."

Once again Roman was greatful to have such a caring boyfriend. Who else would have gone to so much trouble for him? He couldn't help but look at Deceit adoringly as he lead the way, imagining what their life would be like now that they were free to be together. He was so deep in his thoughts that he barely realized when they reached a living room. The sight snapped him out of it eventually though, when he realized how similar the room looked, like the one on the light side but flipped. It was weird to look at. 

Roman put the box down on a coffee table, just to take a break from carrying it. Deceit was about to say something when Remus skidded into the room, eyes wide and excited when he saw his brother.

“Is that-?”

“Remus!” Roman exclaimed giddily.

Remus dashed over and Roman opened his arms on impulse, ready for when Remus launched into a hug. They held each other tightly until Deceit cleared his throat and they both split apart.

“Roman has just gotten here and he needs time to get settled. Remus, you’re not to bother him. It’s been a trying few days and we don’t need the distraction.”

Roman frowned at that, wanting to say that it was okay and that it wasn’t like Remus could be stopped anyway, but he was shocked to see his brother poke out his tongue without fight.

“Yes sir. See you whenever, bro.” He said before scampering back to where he came from.

Roman turned to Deceit, eyebrows furrowed and questions on his mind. Deceit must have misinterpreted the look because he laughed. “No need to be jealous. He thinks of me as a leader figure, nothing more. If it bothers you though, I wouldn’t be against it if you referred to me as such as well.”

“...I think I’d rather not.” Roman muttered, staring at the ground with his cheeks ablaze. Deceit laughed again, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“I was only kidding, no need to be so serious.” Deceit said as he continued walking. Roman quickly moved to pick up the box to try to keep up. They entered a hallway and passed by several doors, green, gray, orange, until they reached a yellow one and stopped in front of it.

Deceit pushed the door open and turned to him. “Since I don’t have the power to move your entire room here, you’ll have to stay with me for a while.”

“Not that I’m against this, but is there really no other spare room here?” He looked back down the hallway curiously, eyes locking onto the gray door that had cobwebs around the frame. It looked like it hadn’t been opened in years. He stepped towards it, grasping the box with one arm so he could point. “What about that one? What’s in there?”

“ _No_.” A hand roughly grasped his outstretched arm and he gasped, too shocked to stop himself from being dragged into the yellow side’s room, dropping the box when Deceit whipped around and gave him a fierce glare. “You’re not to go _near_ that room, do you hear me?”

“O-Okay, I get it...Sorry for asking.” He shrunk under Deceit’s intense stare, and he eventually backed down. Deceit's grip loosened, rubbing Roman’s arm soothingly.

“No, I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I suppose I just have worries about you running off and getting hurt. While I’m relieved to have you near me, there are places and sides in this part of the mind that could do you harm. I can only be confident that you’re safe if you stay where I tell you to.”

“Oh…” Roman relaxed from the tension he didn't know he was holding. He felt bad for Deceit, knowing how much he had to worry all the time about him. “I’ll try not to get in trouble then. Please don’t fret, dear.”

Deceit pressed a soft kiss to his lips and he melted into it, the rough treatment from moments ago forgotten in the gentle way he was held now. It was all he ever wanted.

“I’ll always be concerned about you.” Deceit mumbled once he pulled away, hands running up his sides with the same gentleness. “You’re so fragile and easy to break...and no one has been taking care of you.”

They kissed again and again, Roman soon becoming like putty in Deceit’s skilled hands. Eventually he wrapped his arms behind Deceits neck for support and the other picked him up bridal style, carrying him over to the bed.

Roman snapped out of his daze as he was layed down and his pants were undone. “Wait. Can we not…?”

Deceit only looked at him with a frown. “We do this all the time. Is something wrong?”

“I mean… it’s been a long day. We’ve been awake for a while and I’d rather just go to sleep.”

Deceit’s frown deepened, but he stopped, pulling away from him completely. “I’ve had plenty of tired days where I still did what _you_ want, but sure.”

Roman tensed as Deceit sat up with his back to him, confused about whether he was actually mad. The last time Roman had said no, it hadn't been a problem... “I’m sorry...? I didn’t mean to make you upset.” He apologized anyway, not knowing where he went wrong.

He heard a sigh. “It’s not your fault, I guess. I just feel like I’ve been putting more into this relationship and it would be nice to have some reciprocation.” 

Roman’s mind went blank. Was that true? He thought he had been doing the most to show his appreciation for Deceit, but the last thing he wanted was for that to not be enough. As the romantic side, it would be worrying if he couldn't do his job properly.

“Is there anything I can do to fix that?”

Deceit finally turned back to him, placing his hand over his own. “You could let me reward you for today. You won’t even have to do anything. Just let me take care of you.”

Swallowing, Roman looked down at the hand. He was truly tired from the stress of packing up and moving, and his eyes were already drooping from the hours of planning before that. The last thing he wanted was to get even more worn out and sweaty, but he didn’t want to let Deceit down either…

“I suppose, if that's what it takes to show that I love you…” He begrudgingly agreed.

He received a charming smile that inched closer to his until they were kissing again. It felt like a sluggishly slow time until he was undressed and his arms were held down, Deceit leaning over him once more. His heart thumped loudly in his chest.

“No, not like that.” He protested, trying to pull Deceits grip off him. 

“You agreed to this, Roman.” Deceit admonished, tightening his grip very reminiscently. “I thought you were a man of your word. Don't take it back now.”

Roman didn’t respond, screwing his eyes shut to fight off the urge to throw his boyfriend off him. He felt Deceit’s mouth all over his body, and his other arms coming out to grip him in different areas. Why was this taking so long? Why was his heart beating so fast? Why did it _hurt?_ Sensations faded in and out, before he felt nothing at all.

Eventually he must have passed out from a mix of exhaustion and stress because he woke up hours later, naked under the covers with Deceit pressed against his back.

His body ached, possibly worse than after the first time. He could barely move his neck without grimacing, and just by looking down he could see plenty of bitemarks and red patches; and that didn’t even account for what else had yet to show up. 

It was a bizarre sight. The two of them had messed around with lovebites before, but never to this extent. It was like Deceit had tried to paint his whole body with color.

Not soon enough, he fell into a heavy sleep again, not wanting to deal with the questions in his head right now. He just hoped that Deceit appreciated what he had done for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman gets settled, goes on a tour, and almost gets broken-up with.
> 
> Warnings: romanticization of injuries, lots of manipulation, fighting.

As excited as Roman had been to settle down in his new home, he didn’t feel very up to anything the next morning.

Deceit treated him with incredible thought, waking him up with breakfast in bed and sitting next to him with a book as he tried to get through the eggs and toast. He felt awkward the entire time, wanting answers to the questions that had plagued his mind ever since he woke up aching, but unsure how. When he ended up trying to subtly ask if Deceit was happy with him after last night and if he had reciprocated properly, he got a kiss on the cheek and a snide comment.

“I know I said you didn’t have to do anything, but that was taking it quite literally.” Deceit said with a fond roll of the eyes.

It was meant to be a joke, probably, but Roman still felt bad for passing out. That said he was also grateful he didn’t have to consciously go through whatever happened last night, which made him feel worse since Deceit was right, he had agreed to it.

“And...These?” He eventually gained the courage to ask, pointing to some of the bruises along his shoulders. 

Deceit was nonplussed, wrapping a hand around his neck. “I told you you looked pretty like this.”

Roman felt a flutter in his chest and assumed it was from romance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman ended up not leaving the bed for the entire day. He tried at one point to freshen up, but he caught one look at his ruffled and shaken appearence in the ensuite bathroom mirror and retreated back to the bedroom in shame.

It was alright though, because Deceit ended up taking care of his belongings, finding a place for everything before returning to him to talk about their plans for the next day.

“If you’re up for it, I’d like to show you around tomorrow. Establish some boundaries.” He said.

“Sounds wonderful.” Roman replied without thinking, not even wondering what that meant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being ‘shown around’, as it turns out, meant being given one of the briefest tours in the history of man. 

Once Roman had gotten as ready as he could ever be (which meant replacing his usual costume with an oversized turtleneck that hid the outline of his body and the bruises along his neck and arms), he joined Deceit out in the living room, where he explained that this was where meeting were held, and occasionally family nights. They then went to the kitchen and the shared bathroom, both of which were the exact same as the light side’s, just inverse. And then the tour was over, and there was one final condition to all of this:

“If you need to go somewhere, you should be accompanied by me.”

“...What?” Roman asked in disbelief. Deceit looked like he didn’t expect his shock.

“I told you when you arrived that you need to keep out of trouble. That means you need protection when you go out into the open.”

“Really? I thought…” Roman’s voice became weak with disappointment.

“You thought what?”

Roman frowned. ”...I just thought things would be different here… That I wouldn’t have to feel like a bird in a cage anymore.”

“A very lovely bird you'd surely make, though.” Deceit tried kindly, his smile falling quickly when Roman didn't respond to his charm. “...Roman, there may not be a perfect solution for us. You just have to accept this. Though this place can offer you freedom from the light sides, that doesn’t make it a safe haven either. Like I told you, there are sides here that wouldn’t think twice about harming you, which is why this is necessary.”

“But...at least on the light side there was no danger from just walking around…” He said quietly.

Deceit bristled. “No danger? Are you already forgetting what happened with Logan?”

Roman flinched at the memory, but Deceit continued onwards. “But of course, it’s _so_ wonderful over there. With ‘no danger’ and no _me_ either.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that!” Roman argued. “I’m just tired of this and I want-”

“Oh yes, always _tired_ , Roman.” Deceit cut in angrily. “Only it sounds like you’ve grown tired of _me_. First you reject my advances, then you go and fall asleep on me, now you’re acting as if it’s so terrible to be in my presence when I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“I-I appreciate it, really, but I have my limits.” Roman defended.

“Of our relationship?” Deceit snorted. “Yes, it certainly seems that way. You know, I wouldn’t mind sending you back if this isn’t working out for you. You can find a different side to give you the fairy tale life you so desperately pine for.”

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over Roman's head as he processed that. “Are you serious, Dee...?”

His boyfriend only looked away nonchalantly. “I can have your stuff packed by tomorrow. You’ll have to say goodbye to Remus of course-”

“Wait, wait wait!” Roman cried, clinging to him desperately. “Stop talking like that! You’re making it sound like we’re b-breaking up.”

“Yes…” Deceit looked at him like he were stupid. “You can’t have it both ways Roman. It’s either me or the light sides, and it seems you’ve made your choice.”

“I haven’t! Please, I don’t want to break up!” Roman knew it was unseemly to beg, but he was so confused by how quickly this had gone downhill. He had just hoped things would be better, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to living without Deceit. “Don’t make me leave, I want to stay with you.”

Deceit finally touched him, laying his palm over Roman’s hand. “I don’t want to see you go, darling, but clearly you’re not ready for this.”

“I’m sorry! I’ll change, I’ll do whatever you need, just please...” tears clouded his eyes and he couldn’t even make a strong case. 

“Even if it means staying here forever? Never seeing your former family again?” Deceit pushed, and Roman barely processed it.

“Yes, anything! Even that!”

Deceit smiled and he did too as he was pulled into a hug.

“I knew you’d get there in the end. I’m sorry for frightening you. I don’t wish for us to break up either.”

“Dee, I love you.” Roman sniffled into his shoulder. “You better not leave me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

“I don’t know what you’d do either.”  
  
The two of them went to bed early that night, tangled in each other’s embrace and holding each other tight. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As promised, Roman stayed with Deceit, practically 24/7. The only times they got breaks from each other was when Deceit himself disappeared off to wherever, leaving Roman stranded.

A few times Remus had come over, asking if Roman wanted to hang out in the imagination but Deceit told them off. Supposedly his part of the imagination was too unpredictable and dangerous, which made it unsafe for them to go.

Roman wanted to say that he was more than capable of defending himself. Heck, he had bested enemies 10 times his size, but seeing Remus lose his motivation every time, he did too. 

Sometimes he was lucky and Remus got to hang around while Deceit was gone. Those were some of the happier days. They would play games of their own inventions, do art collaborations, and just catch up. It couldn’t last forever though, and it always seemed like Deceit was just waiting to come back and kick Remus out of his room, just so they could spend time together instead.

They had sex too, of course. Unlike at the beginning of their relationship though, Roman didn’t look forward to it as much anymore. There wasn’t much he could do though, since Deceit had cited his refusal as one of the reasons they almost broke up, and he couldn’t risk having that happen again. He couldn’t possibly go back to the light sides either, who definitely wouldn’t take him back now anyway.

Roman thought about them a lot, when he was alone. He wondered if they were doing well and if they even cared that he was gone. But then he remembered that they were the ones to push him away by judging his love, and those thoughts quickly stopped.

Overall, his days on the dark side were filled with monotony. For an adventurous person like himself, it was quick to wear him down and even quicker to have him looking for escape.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse for Roman as he runs into another dark side.
> 
> Warnings: choking, violence, threat of non-con, derogatory language, manipulation.

Despite agreeing to stay by Deceit’s side, Roman found himself regretting that decision. 

He never spoke those worries of course, because he was sure that would only result in another lecture about how this was for the best, and he already knew those reasons inside out. That didn’t stop his longing for the way things used to be though.

On his more desperate days, he rationalized the pros and cons of sneaking out. For one, he was certain the threat from outside couldn't possibly be as bad as Deceit said, since he himself would traverse the dark side with ease. And it wasn't like the light sides would be waiting out there to drag him away either, which was the worst possible scenario he could imagine.

Besides, he felt bad for having to bother Deceit all the time whenever he wanted to go somewhere or stretch his legs, and in all that time they'd never run into anybody besides Remus anyway. The only times he ever saw the mysterious other sides was during occasional movie nights, where he’d be pressed into the corner of the couch with Deceit right next to him like he was hiding Roman. He didn’t even get to talk to anyone besides him and Remus, and whenever he tried they would just look at him like they were surprised he could talk at all, or like he was some kind of bug. If it weren’t for those occassions, Roman would have thought there were no other dark sides at all.

One night, sleepless and worn down from weeks and weeks of isolation and lack of stimulation, Roman finally made the decision to sneak out and explore, just to make himself tired enough to fall asleep.

So he did. With care to not wake Deceit, who was a much lighter sleeper than himself, he rolled out of his side of the bed and tip-toed to the door, gently opening and closing it behind him.

Already, he felt so much better, like he had taken a giant breath of fresh air. He began walking, passed the living room and the kitchen which he had already been to many times. There were more hallways he’d never been down before, and he was curious about where they would lead. 

He explored the halls, keeping his steps quiet as he looked around. There wasn’t much to see in all honesty, but the change of scenery was giving his brain something to focus on and was filling him with giddiness from the rush of disobeying Deceit’s instructions. Soon he reached a dark hall, one he couldn’t see down. Roman squinted into the darkness, and quickly decided that he couldn’t go further into the mysterious unknown. Not without a sword and the proper adventuring gear at least.

He went to turn around, only to catch a pair of glowing eyes from far away.

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “Is someone there?”

“You’re Deceit’s pet, aren’t you? I didn’t know it was possible for you to get off your leash.” A gravelly voice replied.

Roman shifted with offense. “I’m not a pet.” He argued as he heard the other side approach.

“I’m sure that’s what you’ve convinced yourself.” The side chuckled as he stepped into the light. He was wearing some kind of dark suit, which was weird for the time of night. Roman recognised it immediately.

“You’re Malice, right?” Roman asked instead of bothering to respond to what he had said. He was so desperate for a conversation at this point that he didn’t care if it had started in a mocking place.

“So he does have a brain.” Malice rolled his eyes sarcastically before growling. “What are you doing trespassing outside my room?”

“I…” Roman stuttered as Malice came closer into his personal space. “I just wanted to walk around for a bit. I apologize if I distrubed you-”

Before he could step away, a hand wrapped around his throat and slammed him against the wall. He felt disoriented until the pain in his head registered, and he opened his eyes to an incredibly angry side.

"You should’ve listened better to your master.” Roman choked when he realized he couldn’t breath, hands trying to pry away the one around his throat. "I know thinking is difficult for you, but even I didn't think you'd be so stupid to walk around alone. What? You think you own the whole place just because you're with the boss?"

The side hissed, using his immense strength to throw him to the ground.

Roman immediately felt the wind being knocked out of him upon impact. He tried to crawl backwards but was stopped by a booted foot stepping on his upper arm.

"I-I didn't mean to-" He pleaded, only for the pressure in his arm to increase. He cried out in pain.

"That's it. Why don't you show me how loud you can squeal?" The side smiled dementedly. “No one can hear you here.”

The pressure increased even more until finally there was a snap in his arm. Roman let out a loud scream, curling up into himself when the boot let his arm.

"God, you're as pathetic as I thought you’d be." The side laughed, kicking him in the stomach. Roman could only freeze in terror as he heard a distant noise coming from down the hall.

"Oh great, perhaps you did wake up the others after all. You know what? That’s perfect, because they’ll _definitely_ want to join in on our fun. Everyone's been pissed about your high and mighty attitude ever since you showed up."

" _Please stop._ " Roman whimpered when Malice threatened him, curling up tighter to try to protect himself. The dark side kneeled down to his side and tugged at his shirt playfully.

"Maybe we can even see what the fuss is all about. I mean, you're already whoring yourself out to the boss, right?" 

"No!" Roman paled in fear. But at the same time he was angry by the accusation, which made Malice grin again. 

"Hit a sore spot? I'm sure you already know deep down this is all you're good for. Deceit doesn't _need_ a boytoy to drag him down."

"H-he loves me." Roman argued in spite of his terror of the other side.

The grin faded, and Roman yelped in shock as his shirt was ripped open, sending buttons flying everywhere. Instinctually he tried to cover up the marks across his body but it only made the side above him snicker.

"He loves _something_ alright, and it ain't you!"

Roman didn't know what to say, he was in too much pain to put up a fight as the side scratched him with sharp nails, leaving lines of blood as he roughly pulled Roman back onto his back. He then climbed on top of his stomach and dug his teeth into Roman's tender neck until it started to bleed. It was animalistic and probably meant to humiliate him, and it worked. Roman was terrified of what Deciet would say when he found out what had happened, knowing that he couldn't even try to stop it. Perhaps Malice was right and Deceit would end up throwing him aside once he realized he was so useless.

"What the fuck!" A familiar voice shouted and Roman could have cried with relief when Malice startled away.

"R-remus…" He sobbed as the side finally got off his injured stomach. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"Creativity, you should just forget you saw this-"

"You hurting my brother?!" The green side stormed over, pushing Malice further away. "Fuck no! Only I'm allowed to do that." 

"Come on, you can't tell me you don’t think he deserves this." Malice snarls with a glare. “Aren’t you still upset about being left behind?”

"Screw you." Remus ignored him as he picked Roman up and begun carrying him out of the corridor. Mocking laughter followed them.

"Too bad we got interrupted. See you again soon, princess!" 

Roman buried his head in Remus' chest as he was taunted one last time. He hoped 'soon' never came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus brought them back to their own hallway, using his foot to knock on the yellow door.

"This better be good-" Deceit answered the door frantically, freezing at the sight of Roman.

"There you are! What did I say about- is that blood?"

"Malice got to him" Remus snarled, angrier than Roman had ever heard him.

"And he thought he could dare-" Deceit hissed, opening the door wider. "I’ll deal with him later. Bring him in." 

Roman was barely present as he was placed on the bed. Remus hovered in the room but Deceit only stared at him.

“You can leave Remus, I’ll handle this.”

“But…” Remus looked at Roman in concern.

“If you want to make yourself useful, you can go talk to Malice. Tell him I’m not pleased about this.”

Remus hesitated a moment longer before heading out. Roman made a sad noise at seeing his brother leave, and watching as Deceit shut the door behind him. Trapped again.

“Darling.” Deceit said once he was back at his side, tilting his head upwards to look at the bitemark. “What did you do?”

“I...I just wanted some fresh air. I know you told me not to go outside, but I couldn’t sleep…” Roman explained, terrified.

“And why did Malice feel the need to do this?” He asked lowly, tracing over the wound.

Roman thought back to what he did to deserve this. He didn’t know. He didn't even realize he had been bothering the other dark sides. The only reason he was given was the fact that he had 'tresspassed', and even that didn't justify all of the anger Malice had shown him.

“I went somewhere I shouldn’t…” He ended up saying.

Deceit hummed, summoning things to clean his injuries and keep his broken arm still. “I suppose this is a lesson well-learned. When I tell you not to do something, it’s for a reason.”

Roman winced as alcohol burned his cuts. He nodded numbly. “I understand.”

Deceit paused, holding his chin and looking deep into his eyes. “You won't be going back outside, will you?”

“I won't”

“You’ll remember to do what I say?”

“Yes.”

“...Good.”

Deceit returned to cleaning and dressing his wounds, working in silence. It filled Roman’s head with thoughts of what Malice said, having nothing else to focus on.

“…Deceit?” He spoke up eventually.

“Yes?”

“He...He said that all I’m good for is sleeping with. Is that true?” He asked in a small voice, feeling silly for even asking. He just had to know.

Deceit frowned at him in disappointment. Roman’s heart broke. “Of course not. I'm the only person who truly loves you, remember? You shouldn’t have any doubts about that.”

“...I’m sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20 minutes later, Roman’s injuries had bandages over them and he was back in bed with Deceit. Many thoughts went through his head, but most of all Roman knew that he should have just listened to him. He wouldn't make the same mistake of doubting his boyfriend ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil attempts to confront Deceit.
> 
> Warnings: fighting.

The light sides hadn’t stopped panicking ever since they found the letter in Roman’s room.

They discussed what to do for a long time, and besides ‘storm in and hope for the best’, they didn’t really have a lot to work with. Even then, a risky plan like that could end up with Roman’s suffering, and they didn’t want to risk that.

A lot of their focus had to go towards keeping Thomas stable, as well. Since Roman had gone to the dark side of the mind palace, his productivity had decreased and Thomas had become more depressed and unhappy with his work.

“We can’t keep going like this. We need to get Roman back.” Logan said after hours of trying to get Thomas to be productive. The others didn’t need to respond; they had all said something similar over the weeks, and still had no answer.

“Guys…” Virgil said, getting their attention. “I think I’m going to finally do it. It’s our only choice.”

The others began protesting, knowing what he meant by that.

“You can’t! Something could happen to you too and if that does…” Patton grew closer to tears, and Logan comforted him.

“Virgil, you know how risky it is to go back there. Not to mention it could put Roman in harms way.”

“Well, I don’t see any other option!” He threw his hands up. “I’m not excited about it either, but sitting around moping isn’t doing _anything._ I know we all hoped that Roman would snap out of it and come back, but that’s clearly not going to happen. We need to convince Deceit to stop this somehow, and I'm the one with the best change of doing that.”

Silence followed his words, and he relaxed.

“I’m going tonight. Don’t try to follow me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil felt strange being back in his old home, wearing his new clothes. He almost felt out of place as he stood in the living room, looking to the hallway where Deceit’s room was and knowing that Roman was probably so close.

His heartbeat quickened, and then paused altogether when he heard a voice in front of him.

“I thought I could sense an intruder. Is this the best they could’ve sent? And it only took a few weeks before you broke and attempted a rescue...how pitiful.”

“I’m not here for that. I’m here for _you._ ” Virgil ground out. Technically it wasn't a lie; even though he just wanted to get Roman out of here, Virgil's plan was always to confront Deceit, since he knew he wouldn't be able to hang around for long without him finding out either way.

“Oh? Color me surprised.”

“I want to know what your game is. We all know you did _something_ to Roman, so cut the crap.” 

“What a bold and empty accusation. Based off what? The fact that he’s happy? Or the fact that we were intimate?” Deceit looked at Virgil smugly, knowing just how to set him off. “I suppose that _is_ rather heinous of me.”

“He’s _not_ happy, you’re just spreading lies about us and making him think he's better off with you.” Virgil stomped his foot in frustration. He didn’t have solid proof of that beyond the bruises and his gut feeling, but he knew there was no way Roman was thriving here. Not with his knowledge of how terrible Deceit and the other sides could be.

Deceit clucked his tongue, looking him up and down, unimpressed. “For your information, we’re _both_ very much happy. Roman believes he’s found his soulmate, and who are you to rain on his parade, stormcloud?” 

Virgil froze at the familiar nickname, eyes flashing. He gritted his teeth in anger. “I can’t fucking believe you.”

Deceit laughed. “Don’t sound so upset, otherwise I’d think that you’re jealous of the two of us. Or perhaps, is that really it? You’re mad that I stole Roman away from you? Or maybe it's _me_ that you hate to see with someone else. I'm flattered, really.”

“I’m only mad because I know firsthand that you won’t treat him right, you goddamn snake! Don’t try to change the subject!” Virgil yelled, voice on the verge of entering tempest tongue. “You’ve already gotten him to abandon everything for you. Whatever you think you’re doing, it’s _wrong_ and you need to stop!”

Deceit’s smirk faded. “On the contrary, he’s doing better than ever without all of you. Everything I'm doing is to help, so why are you insistent that my intentions are bad?”

“Because you don’t care about anyone but yourself! It’s written in your fucking name!”

Deceit glowered at him, finally affected by something Virgil said. “I care about Thomas. Is it so difficult to believe that that extends to all of you as well?”

“Yeah right.” Virgil scoffed, crossing his arms. “You definitely don’t seem to care about how Thomas is falling apart right this moment. Just admit that all of this is because of some sick selfish whim, because if you truly cared you'd give it up already.”

Deceit ignored that. Perhaps he already knew how Thomas was doing with his work and just didn’t care. He was still being self-indulgent, after all. “I will not. I love Roman.”

“Yeah? Well _I_ seem to remember you caring very little about him when we were teenagers and he was pushing Thomas to kiss boys. I suppose that love’s kinda conditional, huh?”

Deceit turned from him, giving Virgil the cold shoulder. “And what if it was? What would you do then?” He asked innocuously.

“W-What?” Virgil faltered, staring at Deceit’s back. He thought he had the upper hand by bringing up their past, but now he wasn’t so sure. Something about Deceit's change in tone made him uneasy.

“If I was the big bad guy who stole your prince and made him feel loved for my own gain. What would you do?” He suddenly turned back, taking large steps into Virgil’s personal space, who backed away instinctively. “Would you storm in and tell him the truth? Break his heart? Make him realize there _is_ no love for him in the world, that he gave away every part of himself for nothing? And what then? Would you try to take advantage of his weakness like I did to get him back on your side? Pat yourself on the back for rescuing the damsel in distress and take his love as a reward? Pretend you're any different than I am?”

With every question he took another step forward, trapping Virgil against the wall as he stared in horror and fear.

“You’re no hero, Virgil.” Deceit finished, intimidatingly towering over him. “ _Stop acting like it_.”

With a turn of his cloak the lying side was gone, and Virgil slid down the wall, just like the tears on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well...He admitted that his love is conditional....Sorta. In a roundabout way.” Virgil told the others once he got back. He waited until his tears were dry and he was more composed so they wouldn't worry, but they still looked at him with concerned expressions when they noticed how he was pale and shaking.

“We already knew that from the note. Nobody who loves someone would threaten their wellbeing like that…” Patton responded, tugging on his cardigan sleeves.

“Yeah.” Virgil sighed. “Sorry guys. As much as I hate to say it, it looks like we’re going to take a risk after all. He wouldn't listen to reason at all.”

“So...Rescue mission?” Logan confirmed.

“ _Rescue mission_.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Light sides enact their rescue mission.
> 
> Warnings: disassociation, extended isolation, kidnapping (for a good reason), references to previous injuries, fighting, manipulation, weapons, physical abuse, implied rape.

Roman felt like he was lost in a haze. Ever since Malice had attacked him he had confined himself to Deceit’s room out of fear, but even without that happening he would have stayed put after being caught and told off anyway. Deceit's disappointment was just too heartbreaking to risk damaging his trust again.

It wasn't that he liked it though. Everyday felt the same here and it wasn't long before it seemed like it all blurred together, like he was floating away from reality. He thinks Virgil called the way he was currently feeling ‘disassociation’ at some point, but it was getting so hard to remember their conversations now.

Deceit was gone a lot these days too, which didn't help the feeling of losing time. But really the biggest trouble was the boredom that came with having to stay locked up inside his room until he got back. At least then they would get to talk and he would have some sort of distraction that didn’t make him feel like a bird in a cage.

That was something Deceit had begun to refer to him as after he had last brought it up; a pretty little bird. Roman tried not to let the irony of it get to him. Snakes were known for eating birds, after all.

But acting like a pet bird was all he could do. Throughout the day he would sing and draw with the supplies he had taken from his room, and all the while he felt ridiculous for it. Sometimes he’d try to be productive and get work done for Thomas, but the atmosphere in the dark side was just too oppressive that he couldn’t focus. So instead he’d do things he liked, things he could show Deceit to earn his praise.

In that sense it was a bit of a guilty pleasure, practicing a new song so he could perform it for Deceit and get his undivided attention. Despite his newly-found reservations for the sexual side of their relationship, it never failed to bring him joy that someone was willing to give him so much of their focus.

Roman could convince himself he was happy that way. As long as he clung to the things that brought some light back into his life, he could survive. He didn’t need to go back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the day the light sides enacted their plan, Deceit was away again. Since he didn't even bother telling him what he would be off doing or when he'd get back, Roman was lost and had no motivation to create anything. So instead of his usual distractions, he decided to daydream the day away until Deceit returned. And that's what he had been doing. When he heard the knock on the door, he had been lying in bed with his eyes closed, despite it being past noon.

Immediately, he was pulled from his fantasy of exploring an underwater kingdom and his heartrate spiked. That wasn’t the heavy unpredictable knock of his brother, and no one else would ever come to the door. Not when Deceit was away. He couldn’t just _not_ answer though, in case it was something important.

“W-Who is it?” He called softly, hoping they wouldn’t hear him and just go away.

“It’s me.” Deceit’s voice replied. “My hands are full. Can you open the door?” 

“Why don’t you use your other hands? You have 6 of them.” Roman chuckled in relief, immediately letting his guard down and getting out of bed.

“...They’re full too.”

“That’s weird. What are you carrying? ...And how did you knock?” Roman unlocked and opened the door as he realized too late that something was fishy and froze, seeing the light sides on the other side with Virgil in front. He looked regretful.

“Sorry ‘bout this, princey.”

And then everything went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Is that Roman?! Why is he all tied up?” Roman heard voices around him and he groggily tried to piece together what was happening.

“We managed to get him back from the other side of the mind palace, but we needed to make sure he wouldn’t try to run.” Logan’s voice explained. Or was it? It’s been so long since he’s heard it.

“I hope you-know-who doesn’t realize what we’ve done…”

“Voldermort?”

“Don’t say his name!

“ _No-_ wait, I think he's waking up.”

Roman opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room. His old friends were stood around him, all with concerned expressions. His eyes locked onto Logan and he immediately began struggling, the ropes around his torso rubbing against his skin uncomfortably.

“I told you to _stay away.”_ He gasped, on the verge of hyperventilating. 

“That was a misunderstanding.” Logan anxiously replied, though he complied and stepped out of his line of sight. It didn’t make Roman feel better. In fact, it only made him more stressed to not be able to see Logan anymore.

“Roman, please calm down. Nobody here is going to hurt you.” Thomas pleaded, stepping in front of him.

“...Thomas...?” Roman said softly, stopping his struggles to look at him. It had been so long since they’ve talked. “What is this? Why are you doing this?”

Thomas frowned, taking in the injuries on his visible skin; the handprint around his neck, the hickies that trailed under the loose sleep shirt Deceit had gifted him, the band aids, cast and bandages. “...I’m so worried about you.” He said, getting choked up.

“W-Whatever they told you, it’s not true! I’m doing fine, I’m-”

“You know that’s a lie, bud. I can feel it. You’re not good and neither am I. I mean, just look at you…”

“This wasn’t Deceit.” Roman croaked out. “M-Most of the bad stuff isn’t- but the rest is _normal_.”

“It’s not normal to be treated like property.” Virgil cut in softly. Roman flinched.

“Why do people keep saying that?! I’m _NOT!”_ Roman yelled in frustration. “Deceit loves me! If he didn’t he wouldn’t have done so much for me and cared for me.”

He started struggling again, and Patton frantically tried to sooth him.

“B-But! Aren’t you tired of being in the dark side? I’m sure there’s not much freedom for you there…” That got Roman to pause, because it was shockingly on point.

“I...I have to stay there. For my own good. It doesn’t matter if I can’t leave, I can’t be _here_ either.”

“Why?” Patton asked.

“Because...You guys don’t like our relationship.” Roman said, defensively sinking into himself. “If I choose _you_ , I’ll be leaving behind Deceit.”

“I suppose that’s something he told you, isn’t it?” Virgil hissed.

Roman’s silence was deafening. 

“Well…” Thomas thought aloud. “How about this? You can come back here and have your room back _and_ you can keep seeing Deceit, if you like. We won’t stop you.”

“That...that sounds too good to be true.” Roman breathed.

“That’s because it _is_ , Roman.” A familiar voice butted in and everyone froze.

“Shit!” Virgil swore as Deceit approached them from the shadows.

“D-Dee!” Roman looked surprised, and then nervous. “I didn’t-” 

“All it took was a few sweet words for you to think about leaving again, hm?” Deceit walked to his side and stared down at him. Roman hung his head in shame.

“We’re only trying to help! Didn’t you hear? We’ll let you both continue to date.” Patton interjected.

“Oh yes, I _heard_.” Deceit hissed. “First you’ll open the door with a compromise, and soon enough you’ll be trapping him in, until Roman just so happens to decide to abandon me.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Roman protested.

“Be quiet. I’m _very_ upset with you, little bird.” He warned and Roman paled. The last time he heard that tone he was almost broken up with.

“Don’t tell him what to do.” Virgil growled. “Can’t you see how controlling he’s being, Roman? _He’s_ the one that’s being unreasonable.”

“I-” Roman was clearly lost and conflicted, tears gathering in his eyes. Deceit turned to him and cut the ropes with a dagger he took from his cloak, pulling him out of the chair by the arm. When the others tried to stop him, he pointed the weapon at them. 

“For being the so-called ‘reasonable’ ones, you sure know how to treat a side like a prisoner.” He gloated. “We’re leaving. I do hope you remember the warning I gave all of you.”

“Wait, don’t hurt him!” Patton cried as the dagger moved from them to Roman’s throat. 

“Dee…?” Roman squeaked. 

“Just remember, whatever happens next is _your_ faults.”

“W-What….”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Instead of answering any of Roman's concerns, Deceit sunk them back into his room before shoving him to the ground.

“What a lovely reunion that was! Shall I pretend you didn’t just try to stab me in the back?”

Roman winced as he fell on his healing arm, holding back tears of pain as he pushed himself upright. Deceit didn't stop glaring at him, even when he turned to him with fright. He tried to find his voice, though he didn't know how to respond to this uncharacteristic anger. Forget the time they'd almost broken up; this was _worse._

“They kidnapped me, I didn’t have a choice-” He tried.

“You certainly didn’t try very hard to defend me though, did you?” Deceit glare darkened. “Does our relationship mean nothing to you? Or have you just been waiting for a chance to run back to that miserable little 'family' all along?”

Roman watched, frozen in fear as Deceit paced back and forth, swinging the dagger around haphazadly, until he sharply turned to Roman and slapped him across the face.

“ _Answer me!_ ” 

Roman gasped, doubling over to clutch his cheek. “N-No! It means everything! I didn’t want to go back anyway!”

Deceit went eerily quiet, and when Roman found the courage to look up he saw him shaking with rage.

“You _know_ I can tell when you lie.” He spat in a controlled calm. Roman’s blood went cold.

“Dear, please, i-it’s not a lie...Perhaps they made some good points, but I’d never leave you, really!”

“...Poor, naive Roman.” Deceit tutted, shoving the dagger back into his cloak pocket and finally giving Roman some relief. That was until Deceit grabbed him and pushed him back onto the floor. Rough and terribly familiar of a certain night that had been etched into his subconscious. “Tsk tsk...thinking you have a choice. Perhaps you need a reminder of who you belong to.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to worse very quickly.
> 
> Warnings: rape, violence, physical and psychological abuse, victim-blaming/shaming, non-con touching.
> 
> (Another dark chapter, I'm very sorry Roman. Get fucked Malice!)

“Dee... _please_.” Roman cried out. Deceit had long-since stopped making a show of being gentle with him, but now he was truly looking to make him hurt. “I’m sorry...For everything. I’ll never leave- I-I’ll be yours. Just _stop._ ”

Pain blossomed across the back of his head when a hand tangled in his hair and slammed it against the floor. He fell still again.

“Enough. You’re so much more tolerable when you’re _quiet._ ” Deceit reflected as he thrust into Roman’s body, fingers digging into his hips with the intent to bruise. “You know, it’s a shame I never got the chance to break you down slowly, although it's always amusing seeing you flit about trying to please me. Truly a bird till the end.”

He snickered and watched as Roman grimaced, struggling with his own inability to regain his senses. “Still, I don't need your permission to make you mine. That was decided the moment you attached yourself to me like the codependent weakling you are. Who else would do that? Let themselves be assaulted and stick around for more?

Roman let out a full-body sob as he processed the words. For so long he didn’t want to face the truth of that night, but when Deceit admitted it he couldn’t run away any longer. This relationship had never been something out of a fairy tale; it was a fucking _nightmare._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually Deceit was done with him and left him on the floor as he got changed. It was so casual, like he hadn’t just destroyed his boyfriend’s entire life.

"Get yourself cleaned up. I won't have you dirtying my bed." He said as he buttoned up his nightshirt.

Roman struggled to sit up right, still sore and aching, and he looked towards the door anxiously. The others had to be on their way, right? They saw Deceit hold a dagger to his throat, so surely they wouldn't just leave him alone after that...But it must have been almost half an hour since then, and nobody had come.

Deceit mockingly laughed at him when he where he was looking, sensing his thoughts. "I wouldn't expect anyone to come for you, little bird. By now they've probably already realized that you're more trouble than you're worth. As I keep telling you, _I'm_ the only one who loves you."

Roman's breath hitched, but he didn't stop staring at the door. Perhaps the others wouldn't come for him, but maybe he could go to them and convince them to let him stay. Deceit might try to follow him, but he needed to _try_ to get away at least. Today had been such a disaster, and it pained him to stay in this room that had gone from a welcome home to an oppressive prison.

"Don't think about trying to leave, either." Deceit added nonchalantly. "I've already seen to it that our half of the mindpalace is locked tight from escapees. I wouldn't want you running off again, now would I?"

Unbeknownst to Roman, Deceit had also prevented anyone from entering too, but that thought never occured to him as he finally slumped in despair, accepting that no help would be coming. He tried to stand up but the movement hurt so much and was he was dizzy from the second blow to his head in the past week.

"Roman, I won't tell you a third time. _G_ _o._ Unless you want to sleep on the floor tonight, that is.” He heard a warning voice say and he winced, head pulsing. With the new motivation he managed to pull himself up and get to the ensuite where he prepared to clean up as best as possible. Even just seeing himself in the mirror almost sent him into sobs again. 

He tried to avoid staring at his own tear-stained haunted face for too long, and instead got in the shower to try and scrub away everything that had just happened. Unfortunately, it didn't take as long as he would have liked before his skin was red and as clean as it could be from his excessive exfoliation. He still didn't feel better, but he got out anyway and changed into a fresher pair of pajamas, going back to Deceit since he knew he shouldn't drag this out.

Deceit lifted up the covers when he left the bathroom and patted the space next to him in the bed. Roman obliged. He didn’t want to be anywhere near Deceit right now, but sleeping on the ground seemed worse with his fresh injuries. Not to mention the potential ramifications of angering his boyfriend a second time.

"See how much easier things are when you do what I say?" Deceit muttered, drawing his stiff body closer. "I don't enjoy punishing you Roman, but sometimes you do a lot to deserve it."

A single tear escaped his eye before he would stop it. "...I'm sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trying to get along with Deceit was a nightmare after that. There was no rhyme or reason to his behaviour so Roman couldn't even act according to his wishes.

For instance, sometimes he'd try to trigger Roman for no apparent reason, but draw back before his actions crossed a line, and then would blame him for overreacting over nothing. He'd be more domineering, wanting Roman to do exactly what he said, but sometimes he'd still punish him anyway for not doing it ‘perfectly’. Other times he would get mad at Roman for being upset, but then he'd find his sadness amusing and would hurt him more to get tears from him.

He was more violent in general too; striking him when he didn't get his way quick enough, punching him when he refused to follow whatever made up rules he decided on that day, all the while making those little possessive markings he'd always liked so much. 

The latter he made Roman acknowledge again and again. When he had the creative side beneath him he'd demand him to say that he belonged to Deceit. The first few times Roman cried while saying it, and it made Deceit mad when the words turned out to be a lie. Eventually however they started becoming true. How couldn’t they? Now that he knew he'd been abandoned here, all Roman had was his boyfriend and the impossible task of trying to please him.

...But between all of these instances Deceit would act as normal, being charming and conversational or even apologizing for being too harsh with him. It made Roman doubt his own mind, wondering if any of his terror had been justifiyed. The Deceit he had fallen in love with shone through in those brief moments, so he couldn't help but blame himself for all the times he earned his wrath. It must be his fault, right? He had acted out so much when he should have just listened to Deceit, and now he was finally paying for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a result of the cycle of abuse he faced, Roman was very quickly broken down into a shell of himself which pleased Deceit to see. Most days he had a glazed far away look in his eyes, and when he asked something he would comply without question. Deceit never thought he'd see the day when one of the creativities would be so thoroughly subservient, and he was incredibly proud of his work. Deceit had once tried something similar with Remus, and while he had his respect, he could never even try to tame that wild nature of his. But with Roman...it was almost too easy, him being so eager for validation and love that showing the smallest amounts was enough to trap him in.

One day he cupped that empty face and kissed it softly, smirking as Roman fluttered his eyes shut, awaiting a bite to follow. It was wise of him.

“You know why I’m doing all of this, right?” Deceit asked.

“...Because you love me?” Roman answered shakily, worried to get the answer wrong. Deceit laughed at his efforts and he tensed.

“Well, yes. It’s true that I’m the only one who loves you enough to treat you the way you deserve.” His thumb ran over Roman’s split lip and he grimaced briefly before accepting the words. “But also because you’re not capable of making choices without my assistance. Do you remember those months ago, when you chose the wedding?”

Hesitantly, Roman nodded.

“Of course you do. It is a monument of your own stupidity, afterall. And how many poor choices did you make before then, hm?”

“...So many.”

Deceit stroked his face proudly. Roman leaned into it, a small smile lighting up his features.

“You’re learning! How clever of you. Do you see now why this has to happen?”

“Yes...t-thank you.”

“You’re welcome, darling. You’ve been so good recently, I think I can be less strict with you. Would you like to go out tomorrow?”

Roman’s heart pounded. _Outside_ was where Malice was. But it was also where his brother was, and Roman was dying to see a friendlier face than Deceit’s. He wasn’t sure if this was a trick question either way, so all he could do was nod, slumping with relief when Deceit kissed his forehead and left him alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day came way too soon, and Roman found himself standing in the living room, very much overwhelmed with all the sights and sounds. This was more of a party than the dark side's usual gathering, which meant loud noises he couldn’t help but flinch away from, huddling closer to Deceit’s side. 

On top of that, Malice kept smirking at him from across the room. Even when he tried to look away, he could feel that heavy gaze on him and it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

He couldn’t distract himself from it though, since Deceit was chatting enthusiastically to another side and Roman couldn't keep up with the conversation enough to join, if that was even allowed. So when he saw Remus approaching to pull him away, he didn’t put up much resistance and followed him to a quieter corner of the room.

“What happened to you?! Did the light sides try something?” Remus asked as soon as they were alone, as hushed as he could manage.

“Um…” Roman mumbled, knowing that Remus was referring to his beat-up appearance that Deceit didn't even bother telling him to hide. In fact, he was given a low-cut yellow dress to wear that exposed way too much of his pallid skin for comfort. Before he had begun to feel insecure in revealing clothing, he would have felt jaw-droppingly gorgeous in the outfit, but right now he felt he was being publicly humiliated and that made it difficult to feel good at all (even if it did look like Belle's ballgown). He knew he couldn't lie to his twin though so he told a version of the truth instead. “A while back they tried to convince me to go back to them and Deceit wasn't happy…”

“What do you mean? Did he start a fight?”

“Not exactly…” Roman looked away, uncomfortable

Remus blinked cartoonishly, before he grew furious in realization. “Wait… Did _he_ do that?! Is that why I haven't seen you in forever?” _  
_

“It's- it's no big deal, okay? Please don't tell him I said anything!” Roman pleaded, eyes watering at the thought of being punshed after his first night of being trusted, which only made Remus angrier.

“Trust me, I'd rather bash his head in until his brain is soup" Remus said darkly. "But right now I'm more worried about getting you out of here.”

“That's impossible..." Roman replied, head hung low. Escape was something he gave up on a long time ago. "He told me he locked up the dark side so no one gets out.”

Remus didn’t look bothered by that information. “I know-”

“Remus. I see you stole my date.”

The two of them flinched when they noticed Deceit standing behind them, Remus less noticeably

“Well, you’ve been keeping my brother all to yourself, you selfish snake. I missed bullying him.” Remus grinned.

Roman began to sweat when Deceit only looked at them, trying to find a lie no doubt. “And what were you talking about?”

“Just how busy you two have been.” Remus waggled his eyebrows and Roman flushed. The vagueness of that statement would probably fool Deceit but still, what a terrible cover up!

He flushed for a different reason when a side he didn’t recognise spoke up. 

“He's been hitting it in more than one way, if you know what I mean.” 

Roman’s eyes dropped to the ground when some of the others snickered. So they _did_ know what was happening, and it was all a joke to them. That was... _horrible..._

“Treasure, why don't you get us a drink? Something strong.” Deceit spoke up after a moment. Clearly he wasn't as bothered by the dark joke as Roman was.

He nodded anyway, glad to take the excuse to go and hide his shame.

He could hear voices behind him as he left to go to the kitchen, but he tuned them out in favor of grabbing two party cups and begining to mix alcohols together. Drinking something like this would definitely make him sick, due to not eating a full meal in who knows how long, but hopefully getting a bit drunk would help ease some of his pain and make this evening a bit more tolerable. At this point he’d take the worst hangover ever if it meant having a distraction from all of his worries and thoughts.

He was so focused on the task he was given that he didn't notice the person who followed into the kitchen after him.

“So you've been upgraded from pet to punching bag, huh?” A familiar voice said.

Roman flinched when he heard it, almost spilling the drink from the sudden tremor in his hand.

“Leave me alone.” He whispered as he turned around defensively, willing Malice not to come closer. Still, he did. 

“Nah. It's quite nice seeing you like this, all beaten down. It's all we've been talking about. How clever Deceit is for taming a light side.”

Roman pressed himself against the counter to get away from Malice, who grinned at him. His hand traced over the healing bite on Roman's neck from his previous attack, and Roman flinched, remembering how those hands had once squeezed his neck hard enough to bruise. Those marks may have been gone, but the memory of them wasn't.

“I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous that the boss got to break you before the rest of us got a go, but I'm sure he won't mind if you're held back a bit.”

Malice’s touch trailed downward.

“He would mind! L-Last time, he- he was really mad.” Roman squeaked, leaning back. It only gave Malice room to press against him, slipping his hand under his dress.

“Better get this over with quick then, huh? And try not to make so much noise this time.”

Roman’s mind went blank with terror as he went into fight or flight mode and Malice snorted when he seemed to go still in submission. He needed to get out. _Now._

Without thinking, Roman used the almost-empty bottle in his hand to smash over Malice’s head. The side stumbled back, blood pouring out of the cuts the glass had left. "You BITCH."

Roman wasted no time in dashing around Malice and out of the kitchen. He weaved between the guests until he was back at Deceit's side, shaking like a leaf.

"I thought I told you to bring drinks. It was a simple request." Deceit deadpanned.

"I- Malice-" Roman stuttered.

That got Deceit's attention. "...Malice? What did he do?"

Just as Roman was about to explain, Malice stormed his way over to them, shouting over the other conversations and getting everyone's attention. “Deceit, your toy attacked me for no goddamn reason!”

Deceit blinked in surprise at Malice's blood-soaked appearence, and then he narrowed his eyes.

“N-no! He was the one who-” Roman immediately protested, before he was cut off.

“Roman, enough. I let you out for one night and this is how you act?” Deceit scolded in a warning tone.

“I only defended myself.” He angrily whispered to himself. The indignancy and adrenaline of the situation had made him so upset that he had forgotten who he was talking to, and it was too late to take it back before he was stricken across the face.

“Apologies gentlemen. Perhaps I don't have him as well trained as I thought.” Deceit said at the sides who made various noises of discontent and impressedness. “You'll have to excuse us-”

“No!” Roman yelled back.

Deceit slowly turned to him, and that alone almost made him lose his courage. He could see Remus hastily shaking his head, which didn't help, but he had to at least try to explain his side of things. Malice was the one who had caused trouble! Roman hadn't even provoked the other side!

"I don't… I don’t think it's right to be punished for not wanting to be hurt. This time I didn't do anything wrong." He stood his ground feebly, though his confidence was quickly vanishing the longer everyone stood in silence. 

"Jesus, are you going to listen to him?! I’m the one covered in blood!” Malice argued.

"...Of course not. Your disobedience is only making this worse, Roman. Perhaps a more _permanent_ lesson this time will do. Good evening, everyone." 

Roman couldn't get away quick enough before he was dragged away from the party. One of the last things he saw was Remus’s horrified face before he was pushed into Deceit’s room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you realize how embarrassing that was?!” Deceit hissed at him as soon as the door was closed, shoving him backwards by the shoulder hard enough to send him crashing to the floor.

Now that he was back in _this_ room, it was hard to keep the short burst of courage he had gained earlier. He could only watch Deceit in fear as he pulled the dagger out of his desk drawer, crawling backwards away from him in fear.

“Silent again? That’s fine, I’m sure you already know what’s about to happen.”

“P-Please don’t kill me.” Roman pleaded, growing pale when Deceit smiled darkly.

“Now _that’s_ an idea. This is why you’re called Creativity, I suppose.” He caught up with Roman quickly and straddled his hips, keeping him pinned down as he cut away the top half of his dress. “How easy it would be to take your new form, all trusting and naive to the world, and make him mine all over again. He'll probably misbehave less then you do. After all he wouldn't have a pesky 'family' to betray me for."

Roman started to cry as Deceit latched onto the idea. He shouldn’t have said anything! He could only hope Deceit was bluffing, and that he wouldn’t put Thomas through one of his sides dying so that he could make a point. As always, that hope was short-lived when the dagger was pressed to his chest, drawing a long thin cut.

“But before any of that, I think I’ll have some fun. You have a lot to make up for after that stunt you pulled.”

“S-Somebody…” _Help._


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is finally saved.
> 
> Warnings: physical abuse, stabbing/cutting with a dagger, passing out, stitches.

The light sides were in total disarray after Deceit had come to take Roman back. They had immediately tried to follow after them, only to discover that Deceit was somehow preventing them from sinking in to the dark side. Roman was stranded with that monster, and it was all their faults for intervening without a plan for if he followed.

Days, weeks passed, and they still didn’t have a solution. Every day they would try relentlessly to go to the dark side, and it would never work. And every day they would blame themselves for what was probably happening to Roman, going over the what-ifs and maybes.

“We should have just left it.” Patton sobbed, when the stress of not knowing what was going on got to him once again. “Maybe they _were_ happy.”

“No. There’s no way.” Virgil rejected immediately.

“At the very least, hopefully Roman knows that we're still looking for him.” Logan added uncertainty. But even that was a weak hope. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't long before Thomas went from having difficulties with his work to a full-blown burn out. They had to force him to care for himself, wishing that it would get back to Roman in some way.

Considering the onset of depression that followed, that seemed unlikely.

But just when they started losing faith that they would ever see Roman again, a strange sign of hope came to them. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus was running to the light side of the mindpalace. Deceit didn’t know this about him, but Remus wasn’t nearly as dumb as he seemed. It may have taken Virgil leaving for him to realize how Deceit had manipulated them, but since then he begun to trust the yellow side at face value less. He continued to act wild and impulsive in the way he knew Deceit hated, but he also kept a lot of secrets close to his chest. Most importantly, the fact that he knew how to slip through the cracks of Deceit’s control.

See, there was a part of the dark side that not even Deceit couldn't oversee, and that was Remus’ half of the imagination; a place which happened to be linked to Roman’s side, and therefore his room. Remus had never ventured that far before, since he had learned years ago that Roman would only chase him off before he could get anywhere close to the light side, but right now he needed to get through that boring and predictable land for the sake of his brother.

After witnessing what had happened to the party, he knew he had to quit playing the fool and put his foot down for once and for all. Deceit wasn’t treating Roman right, and if interacting with the light sides was enough to warrant such harsh punishment, then Roman was currently in serious danger for what happened with Malice. Deceit always hated being made to look like an idiot; Remus had learned that firsthand many times.

As quick as he could, he traversed the imagination until he was in Roman’s room. Then he flung the door open and burst into the light side’s living room, taking a second to catch his breath.

“Mothers and fuckers!” Remus yelled over the anxiously arguing sides. “Enough screwing around!”

Virgil immediately got on the defensive, standing up to guard the others. “What do _you_ want?! Come to rub salt into our wounds?”

His anger soon faded when he noticed Remus’ serious expression. “As fun as that’d be any other time, you need to come with me. _Now.”_

“Who is this?” Thomas asked confusedly, but was ignored.

“But...we’re trying to discuss something important.” Patton argued, looking at the newcomer frightfully.

“About how to save Roman, right?” The others looked at him in shock.

“How do you know-”

“Because shit is going down as we speak and you need to come stop it. You’re the only ones who can!”

“We’ve been trying to help Roman for weeks but we can’t get to the other side of the mindpalace. We’ve done everything we can think of, even asking Thomas for assisstance.” Logan protested.

“Deceit’s locked us out.” Virgil agreed. “He has all the power over there.”

“No duh, but as long as you know how, you can always slip through the cracks.” Remus told them, getting more frustrated the longer they stood around. “How do you think I’m here now?”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?!” Thomas cried, standing up. “Let’s go!”

The 3 light sides followed Remus. Unfortunately Thomas had to be left behind since it would have been dangerous for him to join them on the dark side, but to make himself useful he began preparing for their return. For when Roman would be finally home again.

_Safe._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman had lost the strength to fight back against Deceit, if he ever even had it in the first place. All he could do was whimper as his skin was slashed and blood ran down his body, covering his previous injuries in a thick coat of red. The best he could do was try to distance himself from what was happening. Between that and the overwhelming fear of dying, he barely even registered when there was a banging on the door and several voices outside, demanding to be let in. Surely he was hallucinating out of some desperate hope to be saved, because no one on the dark side had cared about him being hurt before, and the light sides had already kicked him out of their family long (days? weeks? months?) ago. But then Deceit paused and looked to the door in agitation and suddenly Roman wasn't so sure if he had imagined it after all.

“Seems like the cavalries arrived. That’s fine. I think I’m done with you for now, anyway.” Deceit lied through gritted teeth, clearly upset with being interrupted. “But why not give them a show first, hm? I want you to remember this day for the rest of your life, darling.”

White hot pain flashed across Roman’s skin and he _screamed_ as he was forcibly brought back to reality. The panic outside the room increased and the banging got louder, as if they were breaking down the door. His eyes cleared enough that he could finally see Deceit stabbing that dagger into his side; not in a fatal position, just enough to make him feel it. He _wanted_ Roman to survive this and remember what he’d done. Only the question ‘ _why’_ passed through his mind as the man he cared so deeply for tried to hurt him in the worst ways possible. His vision clouded up once more as they filled with tears, but his sight never once left the malicious face of his abuser.

“I loved you…” He breathed weakly.

Deceit leaned down a pressed a kiss the corner of his mouth. Softly, like a person kissing their beloved goodbye.

“That was your first mistake.” Was all he got in response as the door finally broke down and he passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas waited anxiously for the others to get back, and when they did he could only stare in shock. 

Virgil came jogging in first, a bundle of blankets in his arms. It took Thomas a second to realize, but he soon noticed Roman’s head peeking out of it, more injuries on his face than he left with. He also noticed the blood seeping through the fabric and paled.

Virgil laid the prince down on the couch before turning to him, demanding in tempest tongue between pants, “First aid! Cuts- Need attention.”

“I have a kit right here!” Thomas hastily went to get it.

Logan came back next. He rose up in the middle of the living room, free to do so now that Deceit's power had been relinquished. “Patton’s sealing Deceit in his room. Roman urgently needs stitches, I can do that.

He took the medical kit from Thomas and immediately got to work, removing the blanket away from Roman's naked chest.

If possible, Thomas paled further upon seeing the variety of cuts and the deeper stab wound. It was very lucky Remus came in when he did, otherwise...who knew what would have happened. Thomas had never even thought about the possibility of one of his sides dying, but seeing this, he knew he never wanted to get so close to having it happen again.

As Logan set about cleaning the injuries and sewing the deeper ones closed (which both Virgil and Thomas turned away for), Patton came back with a bloodied Remus, who was swinging around his mace agitatedly.

“The fucker’s taken care of. He won’t be able to get out of his room again until one of you light guys let’s him.” Remus announced.

“I guess we’ll deal with that later...How’s it looking, Logan?” Thomas asked, fidgeting nervously.

Logan was quiet for a few moments until he finished, leaning back to look at the others. 

“He’ll be okay.”

Everyone smiled with relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be a little less frequent from here since I've got a lot of coursework to do.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. I hope this chapter feels like a comfortable place to pause, in case things take a little longer to come out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery is slow, but steady.
> 
> Warnings: abuse aftermath, food, mentions of forced weight-loss, romanticization of weight-loss, suicidal ideation, thoughts of self-harm, discussion of murder and torture.

Roman didn’t wake up that day, nor the day after as his body healed and his mind tried to process the trauma he went through. Thomas took a break to keep track of his progress, and everyone else took turns to watch over him.

On the third day after their confrontation with Deceit, he finally woke up to the sight of Patton leaning against the edge of the couch and he teared up immediately. Patton was alerted by his sniffles, and turned to him quickly.

“Oh, kiddo!” He moved closer, too quickly for Roman and he flinched away, leaning back as far as his aching side allowed him.

“Please don’t hurt me…”

Patton’s heart broke and he took a step back, arms raised. “Of course not! No one will _ever_ hurt you again. You have our word.”

Roman looked at him, hesitant to trust anyone at the moment. Even the side he'd known his entire existence.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Patton said seriously. “De- You-know-who is locked away now. He won’t be able to get to you.”

Roman looked doubtful and Patton’s confidence wavered.

“He said...He said he wanted me to remember this forever.” He bundled up tighter, clenching the blankets like a lifeline. “Do you think I will…?”

“I...I don’t know about that.” Patton admitted, finding his hatred towards Deceit grow stronger. “Things can definitely get better one day, and we'll do our best to help with that, but the memory…”

He trailed off with a grimace, wishing he had something more reassuring to say, but also not wanting to lie. Roman became downtrodden.

“Oh.”

Was all he said before he fell back asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman woke up again the same evening, this time to Logan checking his bandages. He tried not to flinch so badly this time, but his reaction was still volatile enough to have Logan taking several steps back.

"Oh! I didn't think you'd be awake so soon. I suppose this isn't making me look much better…"

Roman pulled the blanket up slightly, not liking the sight of his own chest. It was too colorful and too covered with white. 

"Its fine..." Roman said softly, looking down into his lap. Now knowing how truly evil deceit had been all along, he felt bad for having such a bad reaction to Logan. Once again, he had been right all along and Roman hadn’t listened. "...I'm sorry for assuming you would hurt me." 

Logan looked surprised. 

"Roman, I wouldn't blame you for having those judgements. Those sorts of relationships tend to have a way of confusing reality." He sighed. "In truth I approached matters too forcefully, and for that I apologize." 

Roman finally met Logan's eyes, and he managed a tiny smile that was reciprocated with a lot of relief.

After a few more moments of conversing, he felt safe enough to allow Logan to check his injuries, even though he couldn’t look at them himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once he had fresh bandages, Virgil came in with a tray of soup and a few slices of toast. 

“Heard you were awake, so I made some food.” He said, setting it on the table. “It’s not much but… You kinda look like you haven’t eaten in a while and Logan said we should start with something small.”

Roman blinked back tears as Virgil explained the meal. He had almost forgotten about eating like this ever since Deceit had locked him in his room, where after a while he had just stopped giving him food. He said he liked Roman like this, all delicate and helpless, and at the time that compliment was the biggest form of kindness he'd recieved in a while, so he accepted it too. Now that he was away from the oppressiveness of that room however, he found himself missing his old strong physique that allowed him to fight his enemies with ease. He missed being able to go to the imagination and getting lost in a quest without worrying about getting tired. He missed being able to pick up and hug his _friends_.

“Woah, don’t cry on me. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Virgil mumbled nervously.

“S-Sorry…” Roman said, accepting the tray as he tried to stifle his tears. “Thank you, Virgil.”

They sat in silence as he worked his way through the meal, filling his empty stomach gratefully. Virgil took the tray and turned to leave, when Roman stopped him.

“Virgil?” He asked timidly.

“Yeah?” Virgil stopped.

“...I’m sorry for pushing you away. He ducked his head in shame. “You were right.”

Virgil’s face softened and he set the tray back down, kneeling in front of him. “You don’t need to say sorry for being manipulated. If anything, I should have seen the signs sooner.”

“I lied to you, you couldn’t have done anything about that.” Roman frowned, playing with the blanket.

“Yeah, but I know you. Just like I know Deceit. I should have noticed when you were acting weird. Hell, I should have checked up on you when I knew you were probably upset.”

Roman looked down, unsure what to say. He wanted to disagree further, but he was too afraid to start a conflict.

“It’s fine…”

“Maybe _that_ is, but you’re not.” Virgil touched his hand gently. “And that’s okay. I’m gonna be here for you from now on, alright?”

“Okay.” Roman ducked his head and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first few days with the light sides was tense. Nobody seemed to really know how to act around him, like they were walking on a field of landmines, and it was the same for him. He was constantly waiting for something bad to happen and drag away his safety; just like when Deceit had shown up the last time to take him back to the dark side. Comfort felt impossible, especially around other people.

By all means, Roman was glad to get away. He was glad to get to live and that Deceit had been stopped before he could do something awful to Thomas. But at the same time, he knew everything he had gone through would leave permanent physical and mental scars. Some days he didn’t see a future where he would be whole again. He tried to trust his friends, but it felt like he was just waiting for the eventual moment that one of them would turn on him, or to reject him like Deceit always said they’d do.

He even wondered if he would have been better off dead at Deceit’s hands. It was a dark train of thought, but he just couldn’t help it. It seemed...nice, letting go of everything he’d been through and starting again. Of course, it wouldn’t be him returning to everyone, but at least a new Creativity would get the chance to shine. That way everyone would be able to forget him and put Roman and all his mistakes behind them.

That made him sad, thinking of his friends forgetting him...but he knew it would be for the best. He saw how heartbroken they were when talking to him. They constantly walked on eggshells trying not to hurt him, and that filled him with guilt, knowing it was his own naivety and desire to be loved that got them all into this mess.

He should have been able to stand up to Deceit, be the brave prince who kept the villain at bay, but he couldn’t do that...That didn’t mean he couldn’t do it now, though.

Wouldn’t it turn the tables, if he died when Deceit wanted him alive? That was kind of exciting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman wasn’t sure how to go through with his thoughts. The more the others hung around him and tried to keep him safe, the harder it became to resolve to end his life and potentially hurt them more. Still, he thought of it. While he healed, he wrote cathartic stories about heroes meeting their end and finding peace from a difficult life. Hummed songs about death and suicide. Made artwork with grim subjects. It gave him a release, but it also put his thoughts out there in a way that could be discovered. And that’s exactly what happened.

“What is this?” Patton asked one evening, hand shaky as he clutched the notebook full of his thoughts that Roman had left on the coffee table. His heart sunk.

“You weren’t supposed to read that.” He said, trying to make himself smaller.

Patton sat next to him and fought not to flinch. “Oh honey, I’m sorry. You’re not in trouble, I’m just worried…All of this seems very dark, and we haven’t really gotten to talk about the mental side of things yet…”

“I’m fine, I-” Roman caught Patton’s eye and broke immediately. “...I-It hurts so much.”

Patton touched him gently, rubbing his back when Roman didn’t move away. “Please tell me about it. How do you feel?”

“It just hurts to be alive.” Roman whispered. “I want it to stop. R-Remembering and knowing that I’ll be like this forever until I make it _end._ ”

Patton held back tears. “No, sweetie...I know it feels like you’re stuck, but things can always change with time. It will get better, I promise. We’ll try our best to make sure of it.”

“You can’t do anything. The only way to take away the memories is to- to-” Roman shook his head.

“I know...We can’t take those away, but we can try to make things more comfortable for you and erase the power that those memories have.” 

Roman processed that, and while he did Patton kept talking.

“Is there anything you’d like for us to change that would make you feel better?”

“Maybe...Not treat me like I’m different now?” Roman requested in a small voice. “I...I miss talking like we used to, but now it feels like everyone is too afraid to even joke anymore…”

Patton nodded hastily. “Of course. We’ve all been a little tense, and I can’t imagine that’s helping. Anything else?”

Roman thought. He couldn’t think of anything else, so he shook his head before opening his arms. “...Hug?”

Deceit rarely expressed affection through hugs. Instead he’d do it through soft touches to the face and chaste kisses; lovebites, when he was in a darker more possessive mood. Hugs were safe because of that. He was able to keep his association between hugs and the light sides, especially Patton who gave the best hugs that were tight and made you feel safe.

He definitely felt safe when Patton smiled and encased him in a warm hug. The weight of it kept his mind on the moment, and though part of him screeched at the idea of any vulnerability right now, it was easy to melt in Patton’s arms and believe that he had the best intentions for him. Patton always did, even if he occasionally led them down the wrong path. Roman understood that now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman felt better after they begun making more positive changes. Though everyone was still wary of his discomfort and triggers, they’d joke back more comfortably when he’d use an old nickname and would involve him in more discussions.

A lot of his days were still very dark however, and it felt like there would be a stormcloud over his head forever now. Sometimes he couldn’t stand to be around the other sides for long without thinking back to something Deceit had said about none of them 'truly' loving him. Or he’d wait for one of them to snap at him and start punishing him for something he didn’t know he did wrong. Or he’d feel anxious being in the living room instead of a closed-off space, too used to the feeling of being isolatingly alone.

A lot of the time, his thoughts just ran wild. The longer he stayed with the light sides, the longer he began to remember how things were before, but now he had a new layer of paranoia that painted everything he did that left him with a pessimistic outlook.

Fortunately, there was someone else who was familiar with having thoughts he didn’t want.

“You need to stop thinking so hard.” Remus complained once. “It’s like you’re trying to steal my job.”

“Sorry.” Roman apologized, though he knew deep down that Remus wasn’t actually mad... unless he _was_ and he was looking to kick Roman to the curb for everything he’d done. Maybe he would see the chance to be the better creativity and take it. Perhaps Roman should try to cut him off first, and he already knew how to hurt his brother so bad he’d leave him alone forever...

“Stop it, Ro. I’m not upset, it was just a joke. I would never do that, so you don’t need to look for excuses to isolate yourself.”

Roman hunched over. “...It’s kind of annoying that you can do that.”

Remus laughed. “Trust me, it drives me up the wall sometimes too. But I’m glad I get to hear what’s going on up there when you’re not doing to hot.”

Remus tapped Roman’s head and the light creativity smiled slightly.

“You know...I've been noticing the other stuff too.” He added hesitantly.

Roman’s smile quickly faded.

“I don’t want to pressure you into talking or anything. But...Whenever you have those thoughts about hurting yourself, please consider telling someone. I just got you back, and if you ended up following those ideas…”

Roman watched Remus tear up in horror. “I’ll consider it…! I...I don’t want to do them, really, it just feels like it would be easier sometimes…”

“I get it.” Remus sniffed. “I wish I could take it all away from you, or go back in time and cut Double Face in half before he could have even met you. Or…”

“It’s okay!” Roman cut in quickly. “You don’t have to blame yourself. I’m just glad all of you are here now and I didn’t manage to push you away.”

Remus smiled and opened his arms, and Roman quickly latched onto him. The twins hugged, as they hadn’t been able to do in so long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So… We need to do something about Deceit, shouldn't we?” Thomas wondered.

“I say we kill him and get a new one.” Virgil growled. “It’s only going to be trouble keeping that monster around.”

Patton frowned, but held his tongue. Even he couldn’t justify keeping Deceit alive after seeing everything he had done. The taunts he had made when him and Remus were alone with him.

“We should get some information first.” Logan said. “Perhaps we could figure out his purposes for doing this and prevent it from happening again in the future.”

“That’s reasonable.” Thomas agreed.

“It’s going to be tough…” Patton winced. “He’s not very cooperative.”

“Nothing a little pain wont fix. He deserves a little payback for what he did to Roman.” Virgil said darkly.

“Virgil!” Patton gasped. “We can’t stoop to his level.”

“If you need torture ideas, I have plenty!” Remus added, popping up in Roman’s spot.

“Yes. I like him.” Virgil pointed to Remus.

“No! I can’t agree to this.” Patton cried.

“Historically, torture has been used as a means of getting information.” Logan shrugged. “If we’re going to kill Deceit anyway, it shouldn’t matter.”

“I have to agree with Patton, this feels kind of wrong…But if that’s what you guys think is best.” Thomas admitted, looking helplessly at Patton who slumped in defeat.

“I want no part in this.” He said miserably.

“We wouldn’t expect you to, padre.” Virgil assured. And then looked at Logan. “So…tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’ll talk to Deceit tomorrow.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil tries to interrogate Deceit, and it backfires on him.
> 
> Warnings: mentions of killing/torture, Deceit being Deceit, violence, worries about being similar to an abuser, unrequited love.
> 
> This one’s a bit longer because it was originally split into two chapters.

Virgil and Logan stood outside of Deceit’s room, which was now glowing with a light blue outline. 

“You know the plan?” Logan asked.

“Stay calm, try to get information, hold off on hurting him until we’re sure he won’t cooperate.” Virgil rattled off. 

Logan nodded. “Alright. Good luck.” And then he opened the door, allowing Virgil to walk inside before closing and locking it behind him.

Virgil looked around and grimaced. The room was more or less how it was left when the four of them had broken in, except now it was even more disorganized and he could see some of Roman’s possessions broken on the floor. He’d have to remember to get those back later. For now he had to talk with Deceit, who was sat at his desk looking completely unsurprised about his visit.

“‘Hold off on hurting him’, hm? Why, now I’m sure this will be a most _interesting_ visit.” Deceit grinned. Virgil swallowed, doing his best not to feel intimidated.

“If you heard that, then I’m sure you know that we want answers.” Virgil said sternly.

Deceit looked at his glove. “I’m sure you do. Maybe I have them…Maybe I’ll keep them to myself.”

“No. No games this time.” Virgil growled. “Why did you do all of that to Roman? What was your purpose?”

Deceit sighed boredly, like Virgil had asked something obvious. “Because I love him, of course.”

“Like fuck you do! People who love someone wouldn’t torture them for months!” Virgil argued, but he only recieved a smug look.

“You loved me once, and yet you’re still content with hurting _me._ Such hypocrisy you have, Virgil.”

“That was years ago. Before you showed all of your true colors.” Virgil tried to ignore him. “Now all I care about is making sure you don’t hurt anyone else.”

“I don’t care about _anyone else._ I care about my boyfriend.” Deceit purred. “While we're on the topic, where is he? I do hope you haven’t been undoing my hard work. Roman was so close to perfection, it makes me sad to imagine all of that being for nothing.”

Virgil twitched in anger. “You’re not going near him _ever_ again.”

It was then Deceit finally looked disconcerted. “Never?”

“As long as that door stands. I’d rather kill you before you get the chance to meet again.”

“My...You seem to underestimate my dedication.” Deceit hummed. “I suppose you plan on killing me either way, right?”

Virgil paused, that was all the confirmation Deceit needed.

“Well that’s too bad.” He laughed. “Because being reborn won’t stop me. We’re meant to be soulmates, you know? A bond like that can’t be broken by death.”

“That’s probably just a lie you made up. Don’t tell me you actually _believe_ that.” Virgil protested.

“With my entire heart.” Deceit nodded solemnly. “But are you really going to risk it either way? You don’t know what dying will do to me. For all you know, it will simply set me loose, free to do as I please.”

Virgil frowned. “...You’re just trying to convince me to let you live. What? Scared of a little death?”

“Only giving some advice.” Deceit replied. “Feel free to ignore it. I’m sure everything will turn out perfectly for me either way.”

Virgil's frown deepened, not liking how the conversation had turned. “You still haven’t said why you did all this. I don’t believe it was out of love. You even admitted yourself it was all conditional.” 

Deceit looked unimpressed. “That was only hypothetical, do try to keep up. But perhaps...If I had to give another reason…”

The snake-faced side leaned forward, expression sharp and dangerous like the predator he was.

“...Because it was _fun._ ”

Anger coursed through Virgil’s veins once more, despite knowing how he needed to keep calm. “Fun?!” He spat. “You really are an irredeemable piece of shit.”

“You should know.” Deceit shrugged casually. “Did you or did you not do exactly as I said?”

“...What?” Virgil asked in genuine confusion, some of his anger briefly fading.

“You know what I mean.” Deceit rolled his eyes. “You rescued the damsel. You get to have him look at you like a savior. Do you think I don't know how much you'd enjoy that?"

"Why would I enjoy that?!" Virgil protested.

"Because we're the same. Deep down, you like this too. Seeing such a reckless side at your mercy; completely reliant on you. It gives you a rush of power, doesn't it?"

Virgil’s eyes flashed and he crossed the room in two paces, punching Deceit square in the jaw. His head snapped to the side and his hat was knocked off his head by the impact. A second later, he was completely poised again and he licked away the blood from the corner of his mouth. He barely looked affected and that infuriated Virgil.

“I’m not like you, you fucking sicko!” He yelled, holding himself back from doing more damage.

“No? Even though we’re cut from the same cloth?” Deceit fluttered his eyelashes with a purr. “It’s only natural for self-preservation to try to dominate passion, you know. And given how close you two were, I’m sure you’ve at least imagined it.”

Virgil flushed in anger and embarrassment. The bad thing was that the words were hitting close to home. He _had_ imagined himself and Roman doing stuff like that back when he was known as Anxiety, but that was years ago and never in a million years would he have taken advantage of the other side. Not like Deceit has. The comparison between them had him clenching his fist, seconds away from pummelling him. 

“ _Shut. Up_ . You’re lucky we’ve let you live for as long as you have. If it were up to me, your head would already be on a _goddamn stick-”_

“Virgil.” A voice called from outside.

“Times up already? Well... this has been pleasant.” Deceit said smugly, leaning back. “Be sure to visit again some time.”

Virgil gave him the middle finger as the door opened for him. Logan locked it behind him while Virgil spun around and punched the wall.

“I’m not like him! I’m _not_!” Logan placed his hand on his shoulder, confused and concerned when angry tears gathered in Virgil’s eyes.

“Of course you aren’t. Whatever he said to you, he’s just trying to get under your skin. It’s important not to listen.”

“I know that. But he wasn’t _wrong_.”

“What do you-” Logan began, but Virgil was already stalking off down the hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil filled Logan in on the little information he had gained from Deceit, and refused to explain what he had said that had made him so upset.

He didn’t know how to even tell the others how similar the two of them were. How he could be as dangerous as Deceit, despite how the thought of doing a fraction of the things he did made him feel repulsed. 

What’s worse is that he couldn’t stop hanging around Roman, despite the guilt he felt while doing so. He had promised that he would stick around and he had to commit to that, otherwise he could lose trust in Virgil and the last thing Roman needed was fewer friends to rely on.

Virgil just wished he could forget the whole conversation. The reminder of his infatuation was keeping him up late at night, hating himself for seeing how demure Roman was now and finding it satisfying. He knew it was awful but Deceit was right, self-preservation liked it when passion is cooperative and safe. He knew that while he was like this, Roman wouldn’t try to fight them or get into trouble, but he also knew the spark he liked him for was gone.

He wasn’t a good friend at all, if he knew that and still felt this way.

“That’s not true.”

Virgil startled out of his half-awake state when Roman spoke up. “What?” Had he said something outloud?

“You’re the best friend I could ever ask for.” Roman explained timidly, carefully watching his reaction. “You always look out for us and try to keep us from danger. So please don’t say that you’re not good.”

“I…I don’t deserve you saying that.” Virgil swallowed guiltily.

“What do you mean? Of course you do.” Roman replied, clinging desperately to Virgil's arm when he tried to leave. “Please don’t go! Did I say something wrong?”

“ _No._ Just. Don’t do that.” Virgil said, his voice strained. “Don’t trust me when I’m as bad as _him._ ”

“Y-You’re not though! Why would you even say that?” Roman stared at him in hurt, and Virgil found it difficult to even look at him, eyes wide and trusting. It had taken so long for them to establish that relationship of trust again, and Virgil didn't deserve any of it.

It made him feel nausious, all the times he fantasized about kissing that pretty face; grabbing him by the sash and claiming his lips finally, knowing that if he had acted on that he could have been just as bad as Deceit and his disgusting possessive nature.

“Just don’t. I’m sorry.” He said, finally pulling his arm away. Roman let out a surprised cry that pulled on his heartstrings. “I’ll go get Remus so you can talk.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What happened with Roman must have made its way around to the others, because he was confronted later that day by two concerned sides.

“We heard from Remus about some kind of trouble.” Logan said, eyebrows raised. 

“Could you tell us why you did that…? Roman was really upset and his explanations didn’t really clear it up.” Patton added.

Virgil berated himself. Of course he’d let his personal hangups get in the way of Roman’s healing. He just wanted to do what was right by taking a small step back, but it seemed like he just made things worse. “It’s nothing.” He said gruffly.

“That’s hard to believe. Apparently you think you’re as bad as Deceit, and the other day you had an adverse reaction to talking with him. We need to know why you think such a thing.”

“Fuck- it’s- it’s not a big deal, okay? Can you just drop it?” Virgil argued, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“It seems like it is though!” Patton tried. “And you seem upset too...I know we've all been stressed, but we need to stick together right now.”

Patton gave him a sad look that was hard to resist. He still didn't want to explain his recent thought processes or anything Deceit had said, but perhaps if he gave them an idea they would drop it.

“Fine, I guess. It’s…it’s about our roles.” He admitted nervously.

“Yours and Deceit’s?” Logan asked. “Ah...Self-preservation, I see. So you think this makes you similar? Because if so, that’s not true. Your jobs are much different.”

“It's not just about our jobs though...I’ve been feeling _things_ about seeing Princey like this.” He said, shoulders tensed.

Logan and Patton looked at him in confusion.

“Oh!” Patton exclaimed after a few seconds. “Is it bothering you? I know it’s a lot to handle, but-”

“N-No. Other way around.”

Patton processed that. “Then…do you prefer him, um…Not as chipper?” 

“I don’t _prefer it_ .” Virgil denied quickly. “I freaking hate this and I wish everything would go back to normal, don’t get me wrong. But my role as self-preservation and anxiety makes me... _like_ it a little.”

He cringed, knowing how that sounded. And that wasn’t even getting into the other stuff. 

“I see. I suppose that makes sense given our first theory about why this happened and how you two operate as direct opposites. Those feelings aren’t something to be ashamed of though if they’re involuntary, as long as you don’t act on them.” Logan explained.

“That’s the thing though! I don’t know if I’m acting on it.” Virgil groaned. “What if I mess up and start acting like Deceit? If that happens you’ll have to kill me too.”

“We won’t have to do that because you won’t.” Patton said sternly. “You care for Roman, and I know you don’t want to hurt him.”

“I know.” He muttered. “That’s why it’s better to keep my distance.”

"It's _not_ better you nincompoop, you made my brother cry." They heard a nasally voice and turned. Remus approached them with his arms crossed. "Whatever your deal is you better fix it."

"If I knew how to do that, I would!" Virgil exclaimed. “I can’t just make these feelings go away.”

“What feelings? You wanna bang or something?”

Virgil flushed, mouth opening to defend himself. To his horror Remus picked up on it immediately.

“...Oh my god you do! Grooooss.” Remus made a sick face.

“Shut up! It’s not- It's not like that. It’s...” Virgil stammered, looking for words. Truthfully, he didn’t even know his own feelings. He had once considered Roman a rival and hated him for his arrogant attitude, but at the same time he had a weird fascination with him that only grew when they became friends and he was finally treated with respect. It was sort of...like a _crush._

“...Oh no.” He muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Patton asked, looking between him and Remus.

“I think I have a crush on Princey.” He groaned, before he could be too embarrassed to admit it. He didn’t know how he didn’t put the pieces together earlier. He just assumed his thoughts about kissing and _other things_ were all apart of their love-hate relationship. Being sappy like this wasn’t usually his thing.

“Well, that’s sweet!” Patton exclaimed, starry-eyed.

“And poor in timing to realize.” Logan deadpanned.

“I know.” Virgil huffed, heart dropping. Of course it would take Deceit swooping in first and burning everything to the ground for him to realize these feelings. But he couldn’t do anything about that. “That’s why I plan on keeping it to myself. I’ll just...wait and hope this goes away.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works.” Patton’s smile fell.

“I don’t see why not.” Logan shrugged. “As long as whatever this is gets resolved. Though next time just talk to us when you have any shocking realizations.”

Patton made a complicated face and Virgil sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll apologize to Roman...Thanks for not judging, I guess.”

“Any time, kiddo.” Patton reassured him.

“That was boring.” Remus complained. “If you ever change your mind and need a wingman, emo, you know where to find me.” 

Virgil squinted at Remus. Somehow he didn’t want to know what that would mean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elsewhere, Deceit was reading a letter that had been posted under his door.

_‘Boss,_

_The preparations are in place for next week. If I’m understanding the plan right, are you giving me permission to get even with the light sides while I serve as a distraction?_

_Malice.’_

Deceit rolled his eyes at Malice’s enthusiasm. Truthfully, he always found his recklessness annoying to deal with, and he was still upset with him for being a catalyst in his capture. If only he could have kept his dick in his goddamn pants for one night, perhaps he could have swayed Remus back to his side, or at least be better prepared for the light side’s invasion.

Yes, of course it was no mystery to him that Malice had gone behind his back once more, even after Deceit’s generous warning to leave Roman alone, but at the time he was too eager to have an excuse to express his power in front of the other sides. That was his mistake. He had gotten too addicted to the feeling of having someone else under his control that he lost himself; but now he had had plenty of time to think and gather his senses.

Rubbing his face, partially scaleless after the logical side’s earlier attempts at getting information, he knew that he couldn’t play games anymore. His death date was drawing closer and the longer he stayed here, the more his power slipped away. He set the previous letter on fire and begun to write.

_‘Dear Malice’_

_‘You understand correctly. In fact, I want you to eliminate them at all costs._

_Yours truly,_

_Deceit’_


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deceit's plan is put into motion, to great consequences.
> 
> Warnings: talk of murder, fighting, manipulation, weapons, non-con kissing, blaming the victim, death.

Things were less tense after Virgil and Roman talked. Virgil apologized for what he said and gave some excuse about stress, and Roman being the way he was now didn’t push it. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it meant things could go back to normal, almost like Virgil wasn't second-guessing everything he did.

Now that enough time had passed that Roman’s condition was slightly better, they decided to help him move back into his room. It was a difficult process since it held so many bittersweet memories for him now. In the end they decided to add some protections to the door as well as redecorate the whole space to make it brand new, so that it wasn’t as intimidating. Remus even offered to stay with him until he got used to it, which was kind of him, even if Roman felt childish asking his brother to have a sleepover together.

Currently his old room was where Roman stayed while the other sides hung around in the kitchen. Patton was doing the washing up from lunch, while Logan and Virgil discussed what to do about Deceit. The last few days had been spent trying to gather information from him, and even when Logan took the more drastic approach they agreed upon, Deceit would only talk them in circles and bluff as they did whatever they could think of to make him hurt. It was as if as soon as he figured out their plans he became immune to anything they threw at him, and it was frustrating.

Patton only half payed attention to the conversation, grimacing when death was brought up. The light sides had never killed another side before...Really, it seemed like a big gamble that made him feel queasy, but now that he was letting it happen, he felt responsible for overlooking the process. Patton had never liked Deceit...in fact he hated him, especially after seeing what he was capable of when he gained too much power. But the thought of him dying made him feel conflicted; like he knew it was for the best, but couldn’t come to terms with it.

He was so deep in his thoughts about morality that it took him a second to become aware of the tugging sensation in his chest. At first he assumed he was being summoned, so he hastily washed the last few dishes and begun drying his hands, but then he realized the sensation was different. Almost like...

“...Someone’s messing with the door.”

“What?” Logan and Virgil asked from across the room, pausing their conversation.

“The door! Deceit’s door!” Patton yelped suddenly when he realized he was sensing the alarm he set up.

“Oh shit, is he trying to get out?!” Virgil asked, jumping to his feet.

“I don’t know! I can only tell that it’s being touched somehow.” Patton bit his lip. He wished Remus was here again to help contront Deceit, but sadly he had left to the imagination hours ago.

Logan recognized the urgency of the situation and wasted no time in standing up too. “Regardless, we’ll have to go stop him.”

He then sunk out, Virgil following closely behind him. Patton watched them go anxiously, looking back at the dishes he had been cleaning. With a wince and the hope no one would have to use it, he dried off a large knife and followed after them, rising up to see Logan and Virgil standing by the door in confusion.

“It looks fine Pat, and no one was around. Are you sure you sensed something?” 

“I’m sure!” Patton said, wringing his hands as Logan inspected the door.

“Hold on…” He muttered, pressing against it lightly.

Immediately the whole thing collapsed, falling into the room. The _empty_ room _._ Logan cursed. “The hinges have been removed!”

“Roman! No one’s with him!” Patton cried, but he wasn’t even given the chance to get back to the light side. Everyone's attention was grabbed by the slow echo of a clap.

“Congrats on the slow uptake.” A voice said, sounding both close-by and distant.

Virgil startled, noticing his two friends falling to the ground, unresponsive in fear. There was only one person who had the power to do that. “Malice...” He growled. 

“Virgil. So good to see you again. Still being a timid little mouse?” Malice smirked.

Virgil didn’t reply. He knew that time wasted here would mean time where Roman was left in trouble. He got into a fighting pose. Malice laughed at him.

“Not flight this time? You’ve changed!” He dropped into a similar stance, fists raised.

“You haven’t.” Virgil said before launching into attack. He needed to keep his friends safe at all costs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman slept peacefully in his own room. Although it was only the afternoon, he was exhausted from the day and was having a nap to recuperate. He was used to spending a lot of time resting, since there wasn’t much else to do in Deceit’s room besides fear for his safety. Sleeping was really the only time he got a break from it all and knew he was safe. Sometimes it disconcerted him that Deceit could do whatever he liked while Roman was asleep, but he could live with that as long as he could drift off to somewhere else and pretend his life was different to the way it truly was. Most of the time Deceit preferred Roman to be awake when he would torment him, anyway.

All that said, he finally felt safe and comfortable in his room, knowing that the other sides could reach him if needed and that he was finally free to go where he liked. 

Not long into his nap however, he was awoken to a knock at his door and stirred, pushing himself up onto his elbows. That was strange; he had told everyone he’d be going to rest and they said they wouldn’t disturb him unless it was important. Perhaps he had slept longer than he thought and it was dinner time?

“Who is it?” He called sleepily as he rubbed his eyes.

“It’s me.” Virgil’s distinctive voice replied. “Can I come in?”

“Why? You said you wouldn’t wake me up.” Roman replied with a huff, despite how talking back was something he had been programmed not to do. He had always been the grumpy type whenever he was woken up too early, and fortunately the light sides were always understanding about that.

“...Let me in, Roman.” Something in Virgil’s tone changed and it had Roman getting out of bed before he could think about it. He stopped a few steps from the door, anxious by his subconscious response and not sure why. 

“Is it important?” He asked, just to double check.

“Y-Yeah…” Virgil stuttered.

Roman looked at the door in surprise. Virgil sounded a lot more nervous compared to the authoritative voice he had just used. Maybe he was imagining things....His head still felt a little fuzzy, so that was probably it. In any case, Roman wasted no more time in opening the door, finding the other side smiling widely.

“Thanks...Can I come in now?”

“Sure.” Roman stood back as Virgil entered, not bothering to close the door behind him. As he wiped the rest of the sleep out of his eyes, he spoke up. “What is it?”

He looked up to see Virgil standing in the middle of his room, still watching him with that odd grin, until he approached Roman and cupped his face gently between two hands. It was so unexpected that Roman blushed, taken aback and slightly uncomfortable. “V-Virgil?”

“What I wanted to say is that...I’ve loved you for a long time. How do you feel about that?”

“O-Oh..” Roman looked away with growing discomfort. He didn't want to upset Virgil, but he had been working on speaking up about his own comfort zones too, and he knew he couldn't reciprocate the way he currently was. “That’s sweet of you, but I can’t...I can’t go through that again so soon. I'm sorry...Are you okay with staying friends for now?”

Virgil only smiled wider, not seeming upset at all. “Oh yes. In fact I’m very okay with that, little bird.”

Roman froze, looking back at Virgil quickly. “What did you just say?”

He realized with a flash of horror that Virgil’s left eye was a shocking yellow. He stumbled backwards, away from the gentle touch that now felt like it burned his skin.

“I’m _pleased_ , Roman. I knew you wouldn’t give up on our love when we were separated. So loyal to me…This is why we were meant to be together.”

“I-I- You said you were _done._ Why are you here?!” Roman cried, continuing to back away as Deceit steadily pursued after him. He soon bumped into the wall, leaving him trapped.

“That was a lie, obviously. Aren’t you happy? I managed to get away so we could have the chance to be together again.”

“N-No! I don’t want that!” Roman pushed against Deceit’s chest as he crowded him against the wall, his breath coming out in short terrified gasps. “Please leave _._ We’re- We’re _over.”_

He could barely stop trembling as he tried to defend himself, jolting when Deceit grasped his wrists and easily stopped his efforts in trying to shove him away.

“You don’t mean that.” Deceit said. Roman’s heart sunk as he laughed in that familiar way, like Roman had said one of their inside jokes. “Those light sides have been poisoning your mind, telling you that I don’t love you, but don’t you see what they’re doing? They’re only pretending to care so that they can go back to walking all over you. Just look at what they did to _me._ They seperated us like I said they would, and they've been trying to get rid of me ever since.”

The part of his brain that was used to these explanations clung to Deceit’s words, but he shook his head violently. He knew that wasn’t the truth! Deceit was the one who hurt him senselessly, and the light sides had done nothing but show him kindness, even after his betrayal. He didn't know why Deceit's face was so damaged and bruised, but there had to be a better explanation.

“ _Listen to me._ ” Deceit’s hands slid up to his upper arms, pinning him roughly and getting his attention.

“Shut up! You’re lying!” He shouted, fighting against his instincts to fall back in submission of whatever was to come. The door was open this time, someone had to hear him, if only he was loud enough.

But instead Deceit scowled as he yanked him towards what he thought was his escape. “Enough with this childish nonsense, Roman. I’ve tried being gentle, but either way you’re still _mine_ and I knew what’s best for you.”

“Help! Virgil! Patton! Loga-” Roman yelled fearfully as he fought to escape the bruising grip. He was still too weak to do anything, especially not when Deceit waved and his hand involuntarily covered his mouth, muffling his words.

“Stop that. All of them are already indisposed.” Deceit tutted, pulling him down the hallway towards the boarder between the light and dark side. 

“Mpph mph?” Roman mumbled through his hand, scared stiff with what that meant.

“Hm… By now they may already be dead. Or perhaps Malice is keeping them around to play with a little. A shame I had to rely on the brute that put that ugly mark on you, but he _does_ get the job done.” Deceit explained.

Tears flowed down Roman’s cheeks and he began to hyperventilate with sorrow. What had he done?! If only he had stayed with Deceit, done more to prevent their relationship from going so downhill, perhaps the others wouldn’t have been put in such danger. But now it was too late for that and he had lost all hope. No one could save him, and all of his friends were _gone_.

Deceit heard his cries and turned around, releasing his magic. Roman sobbed aloud, not moving when Deceit tried to calm him down, hushing him.

“Why cry for them, when we can finally be free together? This is what we wanted all along, isn’t it?”

“No...I h-hate you. I’ll always hate you.” Roman cried, filled with nothing but despise for Deceit. He hated how softly Deceit looked at him and how it reminded him of the weeks spent in heaven, until his expression hardened and the memory shattered.

“Why are you being so ungrateful? After everything I’ve done for you?” He hissed, squeezing Roman's jaw.

“Because you’re a monster! All you’ve done is made me hurt and be afraid of you! And now you've taken my friends too!” Roman clawed at the gloved hand desperately.

“And that is what you deserve! For the love of God, Roman. I’ve tried so hard to make you perfect, but you always _fail_. How is that my fault?! You made me this way by never listening. You make me want to hurt you.”

Roman’s lips parted in discomfort as the grip on his face grew tighter, and Deceit dove in, pressing his lips against Roman’s own and biting at them roughly. His fight continued as Deceit’s other hand snaked around his waist, keeping him trapped in place. But really it was helpless; after months of no exercise and weeks of practically being bed-bound, his current strength was nothing compared to his ex’s. He could feel himself be overpowered and all he could do was strain his muscles in vain against Deceit's chest as his mouth was violated.

That was until Deceit jolted, pulling away suddenly. Roman risked staring at him, finding that his face was pained. Deceit gasped, fear and confusion passing through his expression, and he looked behind him to see Patton, shakily stabbing a knife into his back. Roman stepped back as Deceit toppled over, revealing his friend, who turned away from the sight quickly, looking at Roman instead. 

“...Y-You’re alive.” Roman whispered shakily, pale as a sheet of paper. He then leapt over the body and clung to him. Patton hugged back, sobbing.

“I should have been quicker, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…You’re safe, I promise.”

Roman began crying too, and that's how the others eventually found them, holding each other with Deceit dead on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That...escalated quickly. 
> 
> Next week's chapter will have Virgil, Logan and Patton's pov.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to Virgil and Malice’s fight.
> 
> Warnings: fighting/violence, weapons, self-injury, death/stabbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we have a date for the asides, I thought I'd give this update a little earlier so that the other side's pov isn't left a mystery.

Patton could only watch as Virgil leapt towards the side in the dark suit. He fought for his body to move, but it was like he had been paralyzed in fear ever since he laid eyes on that mystery dark side.

“Logan…” He whined under his breath, wincing as he watched the two of them exchange blows.

“I can’t move either.” The logical side replied, sounding frustrated. “There has to be something to break this. We can’t just let Virgil handle this alone.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across the room, Virgil swore as he barely dodged a punch. 

“What’s the matter?! I thought fighting was your thing now!” Malice laughed, pivoting on his foot to kick Virgil in the stomach. 

He felt the breath leave his lungs, shuffling back to gain his bearings. He glared at Malice darkly.

“Hm… That’s not a very fun reaction. It’s a lot better when they scream and beg you to stop.” Malice looked across the room to where Patton and Logan were, and smiled knowingly. “Perhaps _they’ll_ be a loud as your friend was. He was a crier you know, and blue over there looks like the perfect replacement.”

Something in Virgil snapped and he quickly planted himself between them, losing any control he may have had before. “ **You’re not touching a goddamn hair on any of their heads.** ”

Malice whistled with a smirk. “Careful, purple. You don’t want to go scaring your new buddies off, do you?”

Virgil noticed that his spider legs had retracted from his back, pointing dangerously towards Malice. He couldn’t see Patton and Logan’s expressions, but he didn’t want to focus on that right now. They could hate him for hiding this part of himself later, but right now he just needed to get them out. 

He jumped towards Malice again, this time his spider legs helping to give him a bit more speed. Malice’s smile flickered before he dodged a leg which would have otherwise stabbed him.

The game was back on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you know Virgil could do that?” Patton gasped.

“...Not exactly.” Logan replied, sounding equally as shocked.

The two of them were no closer to freeing themselves from whatever was holding them in place. They had gained some mobility once Virgil had begun attacking full-force, but that still wasn’t enough to stand up or sink out. And _definitely_ not enough to help fight back.

Then Virgil landed a punch directly on Malice’s face and Patton gasped, suddenly finding that he was able to move his hand. His heart raced.

“K-Knife.” He exclaimed.

“What?” Logan sounded befuddled.

“I brought a knife with me! I think I can grab it and…” He reached into his side pocket; fortunately it was still there and he had the strength to hold it.

“Why did you- What are you planning on doing?” Logan asked, becoming more and more confused.

“I-I think the shock is helping break whatever this is.” Patton explained, aiming the knife at his paralyzed arm. “I need to try…”

Logan looked at him in shock. “Patton-!”

Before he could protest, Patton sliced himself quickly, grimacing at the flash of pain. Immediately, he felt something snap, and his full movement had returned to him.

“It worked!” He gasped as he pushed himself to his feet. “I can’t believe it-”

“Patton, go!” Logan cried out suddenly. Patton was confused, until he looked back at the fight and saw Malice staring at him murderously. 

“You little whelp. I won’t let you interrupt.” He snarled, and if it weren’t for the stinging pain in his arm, the sheer bloodlust would have frozen Patton in place again. For a second Virgil stared in shocked terror at Malice's change in expression, briefly looking backwards to see what was happening. That was enough distraction for Malice to dodge around him, charging towards Patton.

Despite being the only one with a weapon, the moral side yelped in fear, quickly sinking out before Malice reached him. He landed outside the barrier, and took a few seconds to catch his breath. That was a close one…!

Hopefully Virgil stopped that scary side from doing anything to Logan...Patton bit his lip in worry, hating that he left the two of them there all alone. He also needed to find Deceit, however, so he would have to save his concern for now. 

Looking around, he couldn’t see anybody, so he begun walking down the hall, back towards Roman’s room. Along the way he heard two familiar voices and his heart sunk at how terrified one of them sounded.

Peering around the corner, Patton saw Deceit’s back which shielded him from his and Roman’s view. 

“-You’re a monster! All you’ve done is made me hurt and be afraid of you! And now you've taken my friends too!”

Unconsciously, Patton clutched the knife in his hand. He knew how awful Deceit was, but he hadn’t heard Roman admit it before. He hadn’t seen the two of them interact either, besides during the one kidnapping attempt. It made his heart ache, knowing that Roman had to endure months of this.

“-I’ve tried so hard to make you perfect, but you always _fail_. How is that my fault?! You made me this way by never listening. You make me want to hurt you.”

Hearing Deceit be so cruel by blaming Roman for his own abuse filled him with an anger Patton rarely felt, especially when the conversation stopped and he saw Deceit grow suspiciously close to the creative side.

Patton stared at the knife in his hand, suddenly filled with dread. He needed to stop this, and he also knew that Deceit needed to die, but could he really do this himself? But then he thought about the suffering Roman was going through and before he knew it, he was slowly creeping closer as to not alert either of them. Perhaps he could just try to incapacitate Deceit…but if he failed at that, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fight against him; Deceit was much too strong and smart, and Patton was completely unused to violence.

Up close, Patton could begin to hear muffled whimpers and noises of discomfort, and his anger increased. Before he could work out a different plan to stop this, his arm raised without him thinking, and he was plunging the knife in Deceit’s back. He felt the side jolt and begin to look back, and Patton trembled as he realized the gravity of his actions, meeting Deceit’s eyes fearfully. He pulled the knife out again, grimacing at the blood that coated the blade, and watched as Deceit stumbled back and collapsed to the floor.

Just like that, it was all over.

Finally, Patton dropped the knife and turned to Roman. His heart was simultaneously relieved and broken at seeing the younger side; his eyes were wide and glassy with tears, and his lips were swollen red from whatever Deceit had been doing. He looked just like he did when they first got him out of Deceit’s room, terrified at the sight of Patton.

“...Y-You’re alive.” He whispered disbelievingly. Patton couldn’t help his sobs when Roman hugged him. He must have been so worried, believing them all to be hurt…Now that he thought about it, Patton could only hope that Virgil was winning in his fight, but for now he couldn’t do more but hold the side in his arms.

“I should have been quicker, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… You’re safe, I promise.” He cried, regretting not stopping Deceit in this plot sooner. If only he had seen the light sooner, he could have protected everyone…Everything was such a mess, and Patton felt responsible.

Eventually, he could feel Virgil and Logan at his side and his weeping turned to relief. The four of them stood in solemn silence as blood spread across the ground.


End file.
